


Crying in the Rain

by BlackandWhiteFilter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Body Horror, Cannibalism, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:55:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23987743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackandWhiteFilter/pseuds/BlackandWhiteFilter
Summary: The Dursleys have never liked Harry, but somehow he ends up going with them on their trip to Japan during the summer after his fourth year at Hogwarts. He doesn't expect the horrible events to follow. No one did.
Comments: 32
Kudos: 147





	1. Lost in...Transplantation?

Japan was certainly an odd country in Harry's opinion. Especially Tokyo. He had absolutely no idea why his relatives would ever want to vacation here knowing how racist they were. It was crowded, nothing was in English (or at least not comprehensible English), and the food was either cold or fishy. The Dursleys also stuck out like a sore thumb with their blatantly rotund bodies among hundreds of thin and generally fit people. Harry flushed whenever he noticed people laughing at them behind their backs, knowing with his ugly and ill-fitting clothing that he was also probably the subject of their gossip.

“Hey love, you wanna eat here?” Vernon asked Petunia.

She blinked, looking up at the sign but of course, couldn't read it. It looked nicely kept though and plenty popular with the regular stream of people going in and out. It was perfect for their perfect family. 

Inside, it appeared to be a cafe with dark wood tables and hardwood floors. The waiters and waitresses were all dressed beautifully in black and white, taking orders and cleaning up behind the bar. The Dursleys sat down at a round table, looking completely out of place. A young teenage girl approached them and asked for their order though that's what Harry assumed she was saying. 

Vernon gave her a long stare down his pudgy nose. “I'll have this one” he said slowly as if she were stupid rather than of a different culture. He pointed imperiously at something on the menu. The waitress blinked, bemused at first but then her mouth drew down into a scowl. She patiently waited for the rest of their orders even if Harry didn't actually get to order anything. Vernon shooed her off when they were done. Harry watched her stomp off, vaguely wishing he could go with her. Anyone would be better than the Dursleys.

“Get your elbows off the table” Petunia hissed at Harry who quickly obeyed.

A few minutes later, the waitress came back to drop off their drinks, leaving just as quickly, grumbling something under her breath.

Vernon acted equally irritated. “What's her problem? You'd think she'd want some extra money with how slutty she looks.” 

Harry's eyes widened in horror. He really hoped no one could understand English within their vicinity. He kept his eyes on his lap just in case. He really wanted to go home.

XXX

“What's going on?” Kaneki asked, entering Anteiku through the employee entrance. He asked because everyone was standing behind the counter, watching one table in particular. “Who are they?”

Touka scowled. “The lousiest excuses for humans I've ever seen. Makes me glad I'm a ghoul.” Kaneki grimaced; no matter what happened to him he would always take being human over ghoul.

“So what did they do to you that's so bad?” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

“Well, first off, their rudeness is off the charts. I get that they're foreign but they talk to me like I'm slow. I don't know what the hell they--”

“--slutty she looks.”

Both of them paused. Touka wasn't as good at English as Kaneki who was like a walking Encyclopedia with how many books he read but the tone made her pause and then the look on Kaneki's face made her face flame. 

“What? What did he say?” she snapped.

Kaneki paled. “Er, I don't think you wanna know.”

Touka shoved him. “Uh, yeah I do. Tell me Kaneki or so help me I'll--!”

“Ok, ok. He said--” he whispered it in her ear.

Touka's mouth dropped. “Oh no he didn't” she snarled. “I'm gonna rip him limb from fucking limb!”

“Touka!” He grabbed her under her arms to hold her back. Luckily, they were in the backroom. They'd only heard what the man said due to their enhanced Ghoul hearing. “Calm down!” He forced her into a chair where she quietly steamed. “It won't do any good to get mad. Thankfully they'll get on a plane and go home eventually where we'll never have to see them again, okay?”

Her scowl didn't abate but she took a deep breath and nodded reluctantly. Kaneki sighed, running a hand through his wild white hair. He gave her a tired a smile to which her eyes softened somewhat. She knew how rare it was for Kaneki to stop by nowadays even though he'd left Aogiri Tree already. He was both different and similar to who he used to be; it worried her to see him dragged down by so much pain.

She shook herself from her reverie. “Help yourself Kaneki. I've got tables to serve” she winked, heading out the door to the front end.

Kaneki chuckled but helped himself to some coffee from the carafe. It was pretty much the only human food Ghouls could stomach without vomiting. He leaned back in his chair and smiled at those who walked by. Everyone was busy with the lunch rush so they couldn't stop to chat but they waved and welcomed him warmly. Kaneki had forgotten in the rush of battles lately how nice it was to be with people who loved you simply for who you are. It was a warm feeling he hadn't had since...

He shook himself from his melancholy thoughts. It did no good to dwell on such things. Now that he had left Aogiri Tree behind, he was trying to rediscover himself, to reconcile his past and present, human and ghoul. A loud crash from the dining room jerked him out of his thoughts. He rushed out the swinging double doors only to see Touka on the floor clutching her cheek, the tray and coffee mugs tossed aside.

“Touka!” He hurried to her side. “Are you alright?”

She was glaring up at a very fat man. Kaneki would hazard a guess at morbidly obese. 

“How dare you bring such inferior coffee. I'll have you know I just got a huge promotion and I expect to be treated with some respect even in a dump like this” he sneered. Kaneki could do nothing but gape for a second. What the hell? He looked past the man at the others seated at the table. There was a very thin woman and a teenage blonde boy who looked like a carbon copy of the man standing in front of him. The only one who didn't seem to fit though was another young teen though this one had messy black hair and large green eyes. His clothes were old, frayed, and ill-fitting unlike the others as well as quite skinny. Kaneki noted that he was the only one who showed any amount of horror at the large man's actions. He was folded in on himself and his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

“Don't expect me to pay for any of that bitch. Come on Petunia. Let's go find somewhere else to eat.”

The family got up and headed to the door. The young skinny teen, however, rushed up to Touka and bowed very low. 

“I'm so sorry!” he apologized emphatically. “Please don't be angry.”

“Come on boy!”

He sighed. “Just a second!” He then helped pick up the mugs and put them on the table along with the now ruined sandwiches. Touka let him as she was still a bit dazed. He turned back to Touka again. “Your restaurant is very lovely and I hope to come by again. Please accept my apologies.” He bowed low again and then hurried out the door 

Touka blinked. “Well, that was odd. Tell me what he said. I can only assume it was some kind of apology. Wasn't really his fault though.”

Kaneki grinned. “He basically said your restaurant is the best and not to be angry, plus a very heartfelt apology.”

Touka snorted. “I'd rather have punched that man in the face.”

Several customers came up and offered assistance or concern but Touka just smiled and said she was fine. They then retreated to the backroom where they both poured some coffee for themselves. Sometimes it was fun to just relax and catch up a bit.

XXX

That night, the Dursley family returned to their hotel room after a long eventful day. Harry, unfortunately, wouldn't be receiving rest any time soon as he was sent out to scavenge for snacks at the nearby convenience store. He walked as confidently as he could but right in front of the store was a gang of teenagers, smoking. They eyed him as he came closer, their dark eyes seeming almost hungry. He skirted them not too far as to seem impolite but not too close either. A light sweat broke out across his forehead and he would swear later he saw the tallest grin like a crouching wolf. Grabbing what few snacks had English ingredients printed on them as he could find, Harry paid at the counter and quickly left. The gang was still there as he exited, the automatic door wooshing closed behind him. Again, he walked past them, shivering at the predatory stares digging into him. 

He thought that not making eye contact would keep their ill wishes inside their heads but thought wrong. The tallest, a young man with dyed purple hair, caught him by the arm and jerked him sideways. A younger girl with a boyish figure pushed him to the ground sending the plastic grocery bags flying from his hands. Harry gasped as the concrete scraped the flesh of his hands causing blood to darken the gray pavement. 

All three teens paused to sniff the air briefly before the last one, an average looking boy with spectacles dressed in black, dragged him by the leg into a shadowy alley. Without warning, he was hurled suddenly into a wall where he lay curled in a heap gasping for breath. 

All three spoke in rapid Japanese as they took turns kicking him. He could feel a rib break and curled inward against the pain. 

Furious tears filled his eyes and his fingers scraped the concrete bloody as he tried to force his body up. Those tears were forgotten, however, when he saw what came out of the purple haired one's back. Gaping, he could only stare as a thick red tail waved eerily behind him like a weaving serpent. The others sported similar appendages, two having spiky wings and another with several tentacles rising up like huge claws.

Harry managed to get his feet under him finally, leaning back against the brick behind him for support. He raised tremulous fists to try to defend himself. Without a wand he had no idea what he could do. He had a familiar sensation, the one that told him he wouldn't be making it out alive. He wished they had never come to Japan.

XXX

“My, my, I didn't think I'd ever have another chance to relive this experiment” Dr. Akihiro Kanou murmured, staring bemusedly down at the patient just brought in. He was a young teen brutally mangled, inky black hair stark against the white sheets. Red bloomed beneath his head while purple bruises mottled most of his skin. The nurses had informed him he'd been trapped beneath the rubble of an alleyway that had inexplicably collapsed inward, right on top of this poor fellow. And funnily enough, several ghouls had been crushed right along with him. Dr. Kanou didn't even know what to make of this event that God must have orchestrated just for him. 

He gathered his surgical implements, lost in thought, as nurses rushed to prepare the boy for surgery. He methodically washed his hands then waited as a nurse helped him into his gloves. Fortunately, one of the ghouls had a rinkaku. It was the only one he'd ever been able to successfully transplant due to it's impressive regenerative abilities which the boy would certainly need. However, there was no time like the present to make a few adjustments from his last prototype.

The nearest nurse read off the list of injuries to which he nodded sharply. Now was the time to get his head in the game. A dark smirk twisted his thin lips. Oh, how he loved to mess with nature.

XXX

When Harry woke up, he was surprised to find himself in a plain room, in a hospital bed, in well...a hospital. He blinked, moving to sit up but found himself in agonizing pain instead. It radiated from his stomach and back primarily. 

“Ow, ow, ow” he grunted. Slowly, his breathing regulated as he relaxed. He glanced over himself noticing that he looked fine outwardly. It was all inner pain then. He sighed and relaxed back into the soft—despite its looks—bed.

He wasn't awake long before a nurse came in. He was almost surprised to see she was Japanese. For a moment, he thought he might be back in England. Her face brightened when she saw he was awake and left the room quickly. He assumed she was going to get the doctor.

The clock on the wall read two in the afternoon. He had no clue what day it was though. For all he knew the Dursleys might have already gone back to England since he never came back to the hotel that night. The clock hands moved...and moved....and moved, until two turned to three. He wondered if anyone was ever coming to tell him what was going on.

Finally, a middle-aged man wearing a white coat walked in. His blond hair was slicked back with gel which reminded him of Draco Malfoy a bit but his dark brown eyes were kind. His stance was relaxed and helped calm Harry in return. 

“Hello Mr. Potter” he greeted. “I am Dr. Kanou. I performed your surgery a few days ago.”

Harry's eyes widened. “Surgery?” he gaped. “What surgery?” Then his brain caught up. “You can speak English!” He grinned.

Dr. Kanou chuckled. “Yes, I can. One of very few who can speak it fluently in this hospital as well. I spent quite a few years studying overseas you see.”

Harry sighed. “Thank goodness. I can't understand a lick of Japanese.”

Dr. Kanou laughed. “It can be a tricky language even for its own citizens. Much like any language I suppose.” He looked down at a manila folder he flipped open. “I've already talked with your aunt and uncle and they have...agreed to pay for the expense of your surgery and left a ticket for your return trip to England. They seemed a bit reluctant for some reason. If I may ask, is there a reason for their apparent animosity towards you?”

Harry stared at his hands twisting in his lap. He hated thinking about why his relatives hated him. It made him wish for things that would never happen. “My aunt hated my mum and she...she hates that she has to take care of me. My mum and dad died when I was little so...” he bit his lip. “My uncle just hates me in general” he finished with a long sigh.

Dr. Kanou nodded. “I will include this in the report but as you are not a Japanese citizen, your own country will have to take up any claims you'd like to make.”

Harry blanched. “I never said anything about claims!” he exclaimed.

Dr. Kanou shrugged. “It's none of my business. Just know that we have documented some of your older injuries when we took X-rays.”

Harry scowled, nodding along. 

“Now, I'll leave you to rest. Are there any other questions you'd like me to answer?”

Harry immediately perked up. “Um...maybe some dinner?” He glanced at the clock which read close to four. He was absolutely starving.

Dr. Kanou's brown eyes seemed to harden, a strange gleam shining in them. It was gone so fast though that Harry was sure he'd imagined it.

“Of course. How could I forget? I'll let the nurse know.”

Harry grinned. “Thank you!”

Dr. Kanou bowed his head over the clipboard with the notes he was taking, a little smirk twisting his lips as he left the room.

XXX

Harry flipped through channels on the flatscreen TV, bored because he couldn’t understand anything he was watching. He stopped on a gameshow of sorts and slowly nodded off. Except for the pain in his back when he moved, he felt great.

Dinner finally arrived around 6. He stared at the tray somewhat lost. The nurse mimed eating with the chopsticks which he copied poorly. She laughed when he dropped the fish for the fifth time taking pity on him by placing his hands in the correct spots on the sticks. He finally managed to get the fish into his mouth right after she left...and froze. 

His right eye twitched and his right hand clenched the chopsticks tightly. Fish didn't normally taste like raw sewage right? He finally couldn't take it anymore and spit it out. He took the napkin and wiped as much fishy residue as he could off his tongue. 

“Blech” he spat. Was it a Japanese thing to make fish taste spoiled? It didn't look raw. He checked over the tray and decided on the rice since he knew that was definitely safe. But even that made him want to throw up. “What the hell?” he muttered, horror swelling in his chest. He tried everything on the tray and not one damn thing tasted good. Even the green tea tasted like what he imagined sludge tasted like. Same consistency too, he mused sourly.

He set the tray aside too lost in thought to notice Dr. Kanou enter the room. The doctor of course immediately noticed the mutilated—yet whole—food left on the tray. He smirked, knowing now that the surgery was a success. There was always a high chance of rejection after all.

“You didn't eat,” he pointed out. The boy jumped, having not noticed him yet. He winced slightly as the movement aggravated his wounds a bit.

“Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that” he scolded, blushing darkly.

Dr. Kanou shrugged and sat in the rigid chair beside the bed, crossing his right leg over his left. “Don't space out then” he retorted dryly.

Harry laughed. 

“Well?” 

“Sorry...it didn't taste very good,” he admitted uncomfortably. 

Dr. Kanou pretended to think about it. “Would you prefer something more western? I’m sure we have something more to your taste.” 

Harry shook his head slowly. “I don't think that's it,” he said, confusion prominent. “I've never been a picky eater but that--” he shuddered, remembering the taste of that fish. Revolting.

“Hmm. Let me see if I can't find something for you. It may be you're just longing for your country's cooking. Either way, you'll be ready to be released some time tomorrow. Hopefully you can wait that long” he teased. This boy was similar if not easier to talk to than Kaneki was when he first changed him. Did this boy even know what ghouls were? They didn't exactly exist outside of Japan but—he grinned—soon there would be at least one.

XXX

Harry slept mostly after that. He didn’t even wake up when the nurse came in with his replacement meal. He felt much better when he woke up the next day, though he was still hungry. His stomach growled unhappily. Around nine, a nurse came in with breakfast. He wished he could remember her name but thanked her nevertheless.

He stared at the neatly placed food and grimaced. Even the smell was getting to him. He tried some of the cloudy soup and immediately spat it back into the bowl, gasping at how horrid the taste was. His stomach clenched angrily. He tried the rest of the food but nothing stayed down. In a sudden fit, he tossed the tray to the floor with a frustrated howl, food spilling and bowls clattering. He instantly regretted it though and slipped out of bed to carefully pick each plate and bowl up. A nurse had heard the noise, however, and came in to check on him.

She quickly shooed him back to bed and went about cleaning up the mess herself.

“Sorry” he muttered when she cast a disapproving look his way.

A few more hours of mind numbing TV later and Harry wanted to shoot himself. Carefully, he got out of bed and left the room. He approached the nurses station hesitantly. They couldn't understand him and likewise so he tried to avoid contact with them as much as possible. 

“Dr. Kanou?” he asked one of the nurses in charge of his room. She stared at him with pursed lips but finally nodded and went off to presumably find the doctor. Harry shrugged and continued to walk around, staring at people and outside the large windows in the common area.

As he walked around, he observed the patients and the people waiting to see their loved ones. There were two boys holding hands and talking quietly in the corner; an elderly man reading a newspaper; and several women, two with children hanging off of them. He took a closer look at one of the younger females who was wearing a very short skirt and black tube top. Her dark hair was pulled back in a stylish ponytail. None of this, however, was what caught his attention but rather the smell coming off of her. It reminded him of steak and kidney pie, a tall glass of chilled pumpkin juice, and treacle tart all rolled into one...

He snapped out of it when his tongue met a string of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. Confused, he wiped it away with one hand. The smell didn't leave though, and now that he seemed to be more aware of it, tons of other smells started assaulting him. The acrid smell of cleaners used by the hospital staff, the odor of sick patients, but those in the waiting room smelled...delicious.

Horrified, he hurried back to his room where he curled up into a ball under the covers. What was going on with him? There was a knock on the door. He peeked his head out and saw Dr. Kanou standing there with a small smile. 

“Ready to check out, Potter-San?”

Harry immediately brightened. Maybe it was just the hospital getting to him. He'd go home to England and everything would be fine.

“Yeah, that sounds great! What do I have to do?”

“You'll need to sign a few documents which your relatives have already co-signed. I've taken the liberty of calling a taxi to take you to the airport as well. I believe your relatives took all the luggage back with them so I'll lend you some clothes from our storage. They might be a little big on you though” he chuckled. “I'll leave you to get changed.”

Harry quickly changed clothes finding the new ones were at least comfortable. With a dark blue hoodie on top and black sweats on the bottom, he looked like any average teen. He called for the doctor to come back in when he was done.

“Alright then, follow me and we'll get you out of here.”

Harry laughed, feeling much better now. Everything would be back to normal soon. He closed the door behind him as Dr. Kanou led him to an elevator which took them down to the first floor lobby. At the front door, Dr. Kanou handed him a small business card.

“What's this?” he asked.

“My business card. It's in Japanese unfortunately but you'll only really need the telephone number at the bottom. On the back is my private number as well if you ever need help.” Harry's eyes widened. 

“Wow, um, why are you being so nice? I mean, I'm just a patient and you're a busy doctor and all.” He flushed, trying not to sound rude.

Dr. Kanou smiled. “I've taken a liking to you Potter-san. I'd like to continue correspondence if possible.”

Harry grinned. “Well, then you'll have to start calling me Harry. Potter-san sounds way too formal.”

“Of course. Do have a safe journey, Harry.”

Harry nodded and climbed into the taxi which gradually pulled away from the curb until it was speeding off into the distance. 

Dr. Kanou let out a dark chuckle. “Let the experiment begin.”

XXX

The next day and a half included a very long plane ride. Since he was a minor though, they did their best to accommodate. The layovers were equally irritating though he found himself growing gloomier the closer he came to England. He was definitely excited to be going back but he still couldn't understand why he couldn't eat anything. He was growing hungrier and hungrier but still everything tasted like garbage, even the foods he knew he loved.

Finally, the plane began its final descent into London Airport. He laughed when he realized it was raining. It was just so typical of his home country. He took a deep breath, admiring the familiar sights before heading to the exit. Having no bags, he skipped the baggage carousel and hailed a cab. An hour later, they entered Surrey and soon they pulled up right outside Number 4 Privet Drive.

He paid the driver, taking his time to reach the front door. He knocked slowly. There were answering footsteps inside, sounding like Petunia's light shuffle. The door opened revealing the woman in question with a familiar scowl painting her face.

“Get in” she snapped, glancing both ways outside the door before backing up to let him in. Harry just rolled his eyes at her ridiculous behavior.

The inside was meticulously clean as usual and he could hear the TV playing something that sounded like sports. Vernon glanced at him before turning back in his chair.

“Freaks back, huh” he grumbled.

Harry scowled.

“Here is a list of chores for you to get started on. Dinner will be at seven sharp so start early. We're having a full course tonight.”

Harry stared at the list in disbelief. Why was he even surprised anymore? They used him like they would a garbage can or any other household item. With a long sigh, he got to work.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur of heavy lifting, dusting, and wiping. At five, he started to prepare the materials for dinner and was done exactly at a quarter till seven. Wiping his arm across his brow, he took off his apron and began to set the table. Everyone filtered in as he was wrapping up and sat down. Harry joined them after serving. Petunia looked a little surprised to see he didn't even try to serve himself anything. Truthfully, Harry already had tried a bit of everything but found it all nauseating. He wondered if he might have some kind of rare infection that made everything taste like crap.

“Finally learned you're not fit for normal food eh?” Vernon sneered, unable to keep from making a jab at his nephew.

“Just not hungry” Harry muttered resentfully. Honestly, he was starving. His stomach felt like it was eating him alive. He hadn't eaten anything substantial in almost three weeks. How he hadn’t already collapsed from starvation was beyond him.

“Well, good, more for us then. It's bad enough you have to go to that stupid school. Why should we feed you too? Should have dumped you on the street when we found you.”

Harry did his best not to respond but he could feel his blood boiling the more insults spewed from his uncle's mouth. He hated that he had to put up with this. Why couldn't they just leave him alone!

A gasping, gurgling sound cut through silence Harry hadn't realized had descended. He looked up from the table only to see his aunt staring at him wide-eyed, a thick red tentacle piercing right through her left eye. He then realized that she wasn't actually staring. Her brown eyes were glazed, a thin trickle of red dripping from her nose and filling the well above her lip. Horrified, Harry leaped up from his chair only to realize the tentacle was following him. He followed it to its source behind him where it was inconceivably growing out of the center of his lower back right above his tailbone. Four tentacles, two on each side of his spine, waved lazily in the air. They seemed to be hard yet soft at the same time.

His awareness of the appendages, like new arms, heightened allowing him to gently slide the one out of Petunia's eye socket. It seemed they could also be incredibly sharp, he realized. He shuddered at the feeling of being inside a place he should never know the feeling of. As soon as the tentacle released her, Petunia's rapidly paling body slumped to the floor, immobile. Dudley screamed and backed away as fast as his heavy body could while Vernon rushed to his wife's side. He pressed two shaking fingers to her neck.

“She's...no” he whispered, horrified. “Petunia?” he shook her shoulder. “Petunia!” He turned, glaring at Harry. “I'll kill you!” he roared. “You killed her and now I'm gonna kill you!” he screamed, snatching a steak knife from the table. He clambered to his feet and rushed towards Harry, arms outstretched.

Before Harry could even think it through, two tentacles rose up and dove towards his uncle who skidded to a stop in horror but couldn't escape as they pierced his chest ripping downward and out through his sides. Blood flew from his mouth as he convulsed then collapsed. Only Dudley was left standing now but he was so frightened he couldn't move, not even as all four tentacles descended on him, ripping his chest open in a spray of blood.

The white linoleum was rapidly disappearing beneath the spreading pools of dark blood. Harry stood in the middle of it all, his pale bare feet contrasting sharply with the crimson stain. He could hardly comprehend what had just happened. In a matter of seconds, his relatives had gone from living to dead. The walls and cabinets were all splattered with crimson.

“No. No, no, no, no, NO!”

He curled in on himself, hands clutching the sides of his face. He winced as pain stabbed his stomach. Hungry, it screamed. Hungry, hungry, HUNGRY!

He howled as his mind fractured a tiny bit, the trauma finally cracking his human shell. Dazedly, he uncurled a bit, staring down at the open cavity of Dudley's torso. He could see shredded fat and muscle clinging to the inner organs, soft and plump. Drool trickled from the corner of his grinning mouth as he took a step closer, then another. It wasn't as if Dudley would be needing them anymore anyways. He licked his lips, reaching out with one of his tentacles to grab a nameless organ. He had no way of identifying it without prior knowledge but it smelled delicious and that was all he needed to know.

The tentacles did the messy work of cutting it into smaller portions then he dropped each morsel into his upturned mouth, chewing slowly then swallowing. 

Heavenly. 

He looked down at his relatives, horrified and ashamed. Later, he would look in the mirror and see a single crimson eye surrounded by black and the horror would return. He didn't understand what was happening. What was he?


	2. Learning to Live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Enjoy :)

“In a breaking news announcement, Japan has convened with other countries around the world to discuss it's growing ghoul problem which has so far remained isolated to Tokyo. Travel, unless of foreign origin, has been strictly forbidden going on twenty years now. Whether this ban will be lifted or not will be decided in the upcoming months.”

Harry had been passing by the family room with some cleaners to scrub the kitchen floor but stopped and stared with interest at the TV instead. Why was travel forbidden? What was a ghoul? He put down the basket and turned up the volume.

“We now go to Stacie who has more information on Ghouls.”

“Yes Rob, though it sounds much like science fiction, Ghouls are actually a very real problem. They are endemic to Japan and though it's uncertain how exactly they came to be, the Japanese government has retaliated admirably. So far the analysis shows that they are human in appearance but are predatory towards humans. They are unable to follow a human diet because of the distinct differences in their tongues and digestive systems. Ghouls have a high Rc cell count which is essential to their diet and is the reason humans are their main food source. Japan has so far found ways to identify ghouls individually by scanning them with a Rc detector but are unable to do so for mass identifications. Currently, the CCG are the special police force designated to deal with Ghouls.”

The screen shifted back to a nervous looking Rob. He cleared his throat. “Wow, definitely glad they're not over here” he gulped. “And now to Jake with sports.”

Harry sat frozen on the couch, his hands shaking. “Wha—why?” He clutched his head. “I can't be a ghoul. How—I was human. I am human.” The dissected bodies in the freezer, however, said otherwise.

Harry sighed, eyes dull, getting up from the couch and going back to the kitchen to clean. It had been a week since his relatives died. As soon as he'd been able to think straight again, he'd sent a letter to Vernon's work detailing his resignation. He then faked the Dursley's going out by taking the car and abandoning it in London where he spread blood that he carefully collected from the kitchen. He caught the Knight bus back to Surrey just as the sun was setting with no one the wiser. 

Now, August was just around the corner and he wondered how long it would be until he was hungry again. He sighed. Yesterday, he had tried to eat some things in the fridge but everything still gave him either indigestion or made him vomit. He had tried coffee on a whim and found it at least stayed down as long as he didn't add anything to it.

It was as Harry was reaching into his pocket for a tissue he'd stuffed in there earlier that he felt his fingers catch on something else. He pulled it out and realized it was a business card in Japanese. 

Dr. Kanou...

Harry gulped. He wondered if he should say anything to him. He had been so helpful but who could he trust? Would the CCG come after him if it came out a ghoul somehow made it out of Japan?

He frowned. There was still plenty of time before Hogwarts started. It couldn't hurt to seek help, right? He gulped, holding the card out and heading towards the phone on the wall. He sat at the kitchen table as he punched in the number and listened to it ring. Someone answered in Japanese on the other end.

“Um, hello, is Dr. Kanou there?” Harry asked.

There was a brief pause. “This is Dr. Kanou speaking.”

“Oh, great, um, this is Harry, um, Harry Potter” he said, fumbling his words terribly.

The man let out a soft laugh. “Yes, hello again, Harry. How have you been?”

Harry relaxed a bit. “I've been...well. I, um, have a question, well, it's not really a question” he muttered. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, since I got home I...no, since waking in the hospital I've been feeling very weird. I...” he felt his mouth go dry at what he was about to say. Slowly he said “I, I think I might be a ghoul.”

There was a long silence on the other end. “Dr. Kanou?”

“Yes, I'm here” he said smoothly. “Is there a reason for this suspicion?”

Harry choked. “Well, I, my relatives, I...I killed them and...a-ate them,” he finally admitted, horrified by it still. His breathing grew laborious.

There was a heavy sigh on the other end. “I am...sorry for your loss. I will be honest with you, Harry. I may have done a bit more than just patch you up in the hospital. Those caught in the accident with you were all Ghouls. I had done a procedure once before where a boy close to death was saved by transplanting the kakuhou of a rinkaku into him. The regenerative abilities saved his life. I felt that without the same procedure you would also die.”

Harry stared at the wood grain of the kitchen table, his breathing growing quicker and quicker until he felt like he was hyperventilating. He screamed “Are you fucking kidding me? How could you do such a thing? I never consented to that. There must have been another way!”

“I assure you there was not.”

Harry folded in on himself, his chest resting on his legs with his cheek pressed to the cold tile. He laughed quietly at first getting louder and louder, sounding more and more crazed. “So, what then? I'm cursed to eat humans the rest of my life? What kind of shitty life is that?” This had to be a joke. 

“I'm sorry but I can't remove it.”

“...I thought you were my friend.”

“And I still am. I will help you through this Harry. You don't have to be alone.”

Tears pricked Harry's eyes and he quickly covered his mouth to prevent a sob. “I've already killed my relatives. I don't think this could get any worse.”

“Oh Harry, why do you mourn people that hated you? Don't you remember how they treated you?”

Harry wiped the tears from his eyes and clutched the phone harder. “That doesn't mean they deserved to die,” he murmured.

Dr. Kanou snorted. This boy really was much too selfless. It's no wonder his relatives pushed him around so easily. “Now Harry, don't you think it's better to eat, say, someone who is bad versus someone who is good? By killing your relatives you've prevented them from hurting you or anyone else. You can choose a murderer over a kindergarten teacher. Choose those who've chosen evil over good”

Harry blinked. “I suppose...”

“I would come there and help you if I could but until the restrictions are lifted for Japanese citizens my hands are tied. Do try to stay healthy though, alright? I don't want all of my hard work to go to waste.”

Harry blushed at his concern. “Of course. Sorry.” He took a deep breath, clutching the wall phone hard against his cheek. “Thank you for everything doctor.” He meant every word despite the circumstances. At least he had someone to turn to. There was no way he could tell anyone else.

Across the world, Dr. Kanou smirked. “You're welcome, Harry.”

XXX

Two days later, Harry opened the door around 8 pm only to find a police cruiser outside and two policemen on his doorstep. One was a tall middle-aged man with short, salt and pepper hair. A younger man with curly black hair and umber skin stood beside him. 

“Hello, I'm Sergeant Gray and this is Officer Dillon. We are responding to a missing persons call.”

Harry's eyes widened for a brief second before he opened the door wider. “Um, I'm the one who made the call,” he replied. “Please come in.”

Officer Gray nodded and stepped over the threshold. Harry directed him towards the couch in the living room where he began to question him.

“Now, explain why you called.”

“Yeah, o-of course. Um, well at the near the end of June my family and I took a trip to Japan. I got into a bit of an accident and ended up in the hospital there but my relatives needed to get back home on time because Uncle Vernon needed to go back to work so I came back a little late. My aunt and uncle seemed really nervous for some reason though but wouldn't tell me why. My uncle said he had to go to London for a meeting and insisted that I stay home even though he took Dudley and Aunt Petunia with him. I wasn't worried at first but then I never heard from him again.”

Officer Gray hummed softly as he made notes on his notepad. He asked a few more questions that Harry answered as truthfully as he could. Best not to lie too much or he might get confused.

“Alright, thank you for your cooperation son. I'll let you know if anything turns up. Do you have someone you can stay with in the meantime?”

Harry grinned nervously. “Um, yeah, I'll be going to visit my friend's house in a few days. I'm sure they won't mind me staying for a little longer though.”

Then he was pulling away and Harry closed the door, his stomach twisting into knots. What should he do? Should he move? Should he--? No, there was nothing tying him to their deaths, not physically anyways. He'd have to get rid of their remains though. He stared at the freezer, feeling reluctant to let all that meat go to waste even if he wasn't technically hungry.

To help make his story believable in case the officer came back to check on him, he quickly wrote up a letter to Mrs. Weasley, asking if he could come stay until the new school year started. He hadn’t heard from any of his friends all summer which was odd but he had to try to cover his tracks. Hopefully, it would all work out.

He handed the letter to Hedwig who nipped his hand lightly before flying off into the night.

Harry was surprised but happy when two days later, he received a letter back from Dumbledore saying that yes, someone would come pick him up the next day and to be ready. Grinning, he did a little dance before running upstairs to pack his stuff. He'd gone out shopping yesterday with some cash he'd found squirreled away in the top left drawer of Petunia's dresser. He'd bought a few good sets of clothing as well as shoes and jackets from the thrift store, things that at least fit even if they were second hand. 

Maybe I'll burn Dudley's clothing just for the hell of it, he snickered.

Finally, everything was packed. He easily lifted the heavy trunk and brought it downstairs to sit by the door. Next, he headed to the freezer, frowning at the “leftovers” wrapped in plastic. He would have to bring them with him. There was no telling when he'd be hungry again and the chances of him sneaking out to hunt were low. Not to mention, he didn't want to end up killing his foster family. But how to hide their origin? 

The invisibility cloak might be enough to cover them for now but what about the smell? Harry headed upstairs and rummaged through the bathroom. He found some smelly sachets that interfered with his own sensitive nose making him sneeze a few times. The meat went into tupperware, as much as he could fit which he then put back in the freezer until the time was right.

Evening of the next day found Harry counting down the clock. Everything was packed and ready to go so he was just watching a little bit of TV. He was going to miss the novelty of it now that he could actually watch it whenever he wanted. Five minutes till eight, the doorbell rang. He got up quietly and sneaked to the front door, checking out the peephole to see three familiar people standing there.

Smiling, he opened the door. “Hi, Professor Lupin.”

Said man smiled back, crows feet crinkling in the corners of his amber eyes. “Evening Harry.”

“Wotcher!” Tonks chirped, her hair a bright pink tonight.

Mad-Eye just grumbled. “Check to see if he's really Potter, Lupin.”

Lupin sighed. Mad-Eye was Mad-Eye no matter where he went. “What is the form of your Patronus, Harry?”

Nonplussed, Harry replied “A stag?”

“Is that an answer or a question boy?” Mad-Eye barked. 

Harry rolled his eyes. “An answer, duh.”

Lupin chuckled. “How about your father's secret code name?”

Harry laughed. “Prongs of course!”

“Yup, that's him Mad-Eye. Come on Harry, we better get going. This your trunk?”

Harry nodded and allowed Lupin to spell it feather light. He didn't seem to sense anything out of the ordinary so Harry chalked up a point for him. Though the smelly sachets definitely masked the scent he could still smell the faint scent of blood. He guessed that his sense of smell might be even stronger than his werewolf teacher's.

When they showed him their method of transportation, he just about face-palmed. “Brooms, seriously?”

Lupin shrugged while Mad-Eye barked “Constant Vigilance! Harder to track they are.”

Harry scowled. He could think of plenty of other untraceable forms of transportation, more comfortable too. He climbed on the broom though and soon they set off into the moonlit night. After a few hours of flying, he was surprised they didn't land out front of the Weasley home but rather an empty muggle street with run down homes and dim street lamps.

“What are we doing here?” he asked, looking around.

“Read this” Mad-Eye snapped, pushing a piece of paper under his nose. He grabbed it and read the single sentence with a frown. The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at 12 Grimmauld Place.

“What is the Ord--”

“Not out loud boy!”

Harry shot him a nasty look, his right eye flashing red unknowingly but indiscernible in the darkness. He dutifully read it in his head, looking up right after...only to see a house where there wasn't one before. He rubbed his eyes a bit surprised. They led him inside at which point Harry's brain became white noise as a semi-truck of smells hit him head on. He grabbed his nose, sneezing again and again. God, it was awful.

“Harry, Harry, are you okay?” Lupin shook his shoulder slightly. 

Eventually, the smells started to separate and sort themselves out allowing his brain to catch up. He took a deep breath, feeling horribly embarrassed at his sudden spell.

“Sorry, it's just...”

“Dusty I know” answered a familiar woman.

Harry grinned at Mrs. Weasley who opened her arms for him. She smelled like a mixture of maple syrup and cinnamon. He immediately hugged her back. “We've been cleaning for a week and it hasn't seemed to make much difference unfortunately.”

Harry shrugged. “That's alright. It was just a bit surprising.”

She nodded. “Well, come in everyone. There's snacks in the kitchen if you feel like a cuppa.”

Everyone made interested noises except for Harry who froze briefly. Snacks? Crap, he'd completely forgotten he would have to pretend to be human. Grimacing, he caught up to the group, his stomach already cramping at the thought of eating any of the cookies, sandwiches, or tea on the table. He sat down anyways, smiling but not making any move to eat anything.

Mrs. Weasley frowned. “Aren't you hungry Harry?”

Harry shook his head. “I had a big dinner earlier.” To distract her he asked, “Where is everyone else?”

Mrs. Weasley smiled. “Sleeping I hope. It is very late after all.”

Harry nodded, hesitantly taking a bite of one of the cookies at Tonk's urging. He grit his teeth to keep from spitting it out. The texture was like paste and the taste was foul. He swallowed anyway and shuddered as it went down. He did his best to look delighted on the outside but knew it fell kind of flat. He really hoped no one was watching him too closely. Everyone appeared focused on their own food so he counted himself lucky.

After an hour or so, they wrapped it up. He helped Mrs. Weasley with the dishes even though she tried to reject his offer. Near the end he asked her for a favor.

“Is there any way you can charm a box cold for me? I brought some food from home my aunt made and I want to make sure it doesn't go bad.” Mrs. Weasley beamed and complimented how sweet he was and how loving his aunt must be to make him something. Harry did his best not to scoff. Once she'd handled his request, Mrs. Weasley showed him where he'd be sleeping. “Ron's bed is on the right dear so try to be quiet.”

He nodded, entering and noticing his trunk was already there. First, he exhumed the meat from under his invisibility cloak and shoved it into the cold box. It then disappeared back under the invisibility cloak. He then changed into his pajamas but didn't go to bed quite yet. He needed to get rid of the cookie in his stomach first or he'd never be able to sleep properly. He drank some water from the tap and tried to induce vomiting by sticking his finger down his throat. Ten minutes later, his stomach complied and spewed the chewed cookie into the toilet. Tired and nauseous, he flushed the mess and crashed into bed.

XXX

The next morning Harry was awoken suddenly by a loud obnoxious redhead...aka Ron. With a loud yelp, he fell out of bed onto the cold floor, his bum aching from impact. He rubbed his backside one handed, looking up at said redhead. 

“Ron!”

Ron just grinned unashamedly. “Your fault for not getting up first!” he snickered. Harry rolled his eyes.

“Come on! Last one to breakfast is a rotten egg!”

Harry grimaced at the thought of breakfast. His stomach still felt off after eating that cookie last night and it had only been one!

With a long sigh, he followed slowly after. He looked closer at the house as he walked. Everything was dark he quickly realized. Dark wood floors, dark wood furniture, dark drab drapes, and everything had an old feel to it like it had been left abandoned for many years. Everywhere was dust, dust, and more dust. He felt his nose itch annoyingly.

Downstairs was bustling with activity and very noisy. Harry grimaced as it assaulted his sensitive ears like cannons going off. Everyone turned to look when he entered. 

“Harry!” Sirius grinned.

“Hi Harry!”

“Harry, sit over here!”

Harry just laughed and went to sit next to Sirius in the end who ruffled his hair fondly. Harry frowned as Mrs. Weasley put a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon in front of him. He fought hard not to gag as he slowly began to eat. He breathed through his mouth to better avoid the smell and swallowed mouthful after mouthful till he felt truly sick but he'd only managed to eat a third of his plate.

When he stopped Sirius looked down at him with concern.

“Are you okay, Harry?” he asked.

Harry just waved off his concern. “I'm not all that hungry.” He knew it was a lame excuse since he usually showed a healthier appetite. “I've never really been a breakfast person anyways.”

Sirius frowned but didn't argue. He knew for a fact that Harry had never had a problem with breakfast before. By the look on Ron's face, he thought it was odd too.

“So when is Hermione coming?” Harry asked as breakfast was starting to wind down.

Ron grinned, patting his stuffed stomach. He'd had almost three helpings. “Dumbledore says in about a week.” Harry frowned, a bit confused that Ron was in touch with Dumbledore when the headmaster couldn’t even be bothered to write to him just like his “friends”. His eyes narrowed, anger gradually rising to a slow boil.   
But before he could explode, Mrs. Weasley interrupted with a loud clap. “Now everyone, the chores won't get themselves done. I've got everything we'll need upstairs so get your bums up out of those chairs.”

Ron and the twins groaned while Ginny just grimaced. They soon trooped up the creaky stairs to the second floor where they were soon rounding up doxies, washing floors, and polishing furniture. It definitely wasn't Harry's idea of a good time. He especially wasn't happy because his stomach was curling up and dying inside his body but he couldn't find a moment to slip away to throw up.

When he finally did find an excuse, he ran into an odd creature halfway down the hall. It was obviously a house elf but looked more like a very skinny, wrinkly bag. It seemed to be muttering to itself though Harry could hear it quite clearly.

“Disgusting, filthy, blood traitors, mudbloods, filthy, filthy, filthy!”

Harry bent down to look at it closer. The house elf jumped at his proximity.

“Get out of my way filthy...” It's tennis ball eyes widened to saucers when it fully caught sight of him.

“M-monster. Monster! Monster!” it shrieked, startling Harry who jerked back barely managing not to fall flat on his back.

Harry quickly regained his equilibrium and snatched the elf's neck in a bruising grip. It choked and struggled madly in his fist. The elf didn't smell appetizing in the least but he could make an exception. He told the elf as much who shuddered, paling rapidly.

“Please, please master. Don't hurt this lowly elf. I's not worth it.”

Harry scowled and muttered “Don't worry. I doubt you'd taste any good.” He released the elf who bowed till his long nose was touching the floor. 

“Thank you, thank you master. Thank you for sparing this lowly elf.”

Harry rolled his eyes and continued on to the bathroom. Once there he went straight for the tap but checked the mirror out of habit. He froze, however, when he saw his right eye had transformed.

He had seen it after he killed his relatives but didn’t know how to keep it from appearing. The sclera was black instead of white and the iris was crimson, almost glowing. Spidery veins surrounded it completing its demonic look. It reminded him of the eyes of those ghouls who'd attacked him in Japan. Panicked, he covered it with his right hand, trying to figure out what he was going to do to hide this. 

Maybe having a quick snack would help... He noticed that every time he ate human food it seemed to take a toll on his hunger. As in, it brought it on quicker. Scowling, he kept his eye covered as he hurried to his room. Ron wasn't there thank god. He locked the door and quickly rummaged through his trunk pulling out the cold meat. A few morsels of flesh calmed his stomach immensely. The smell and taste of steak and kidney pie mixed with fudge and bread pudding filled his senses. He ate as quick as he could then hid it back in his trunk.

Now, what to do about his eye?

He pulled out his wand and waved it while whispering a glamor spell. The tingle of magic arced over his eye sinking into his flesh. He quickly looked in the old mirror above the dresser, seeing two normal looking eyes. Relieved, he left the room and headed back to the cleaning. That was the nice thing about living in a house full of wizards—underage magic was completely acceptable by the Ministry of Magic. 

“Hey guys.”

“Jeez, where did you go Harry? Long time in the loo don't you think?”

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's bluntness. Tact was definitely not something his friend possessed in any great amount. “Whatever Ron.”

That night something interesting happened. A lot of people all of a sudden started showing up after dinner, all of them heading into the dining room including several people Harry knew like Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape.

“What's going on?” Harry asked Ron.

Ron scowled. “An Order meeting. They have one every Thursday unless it's urgent or something.”

Shocked, Harry asked “Why haven’t I heard of this before?”

Ron shifted awkwardly. “They told us not to tell anyone. Sorry,” he smiled sheepishly.

Harry’s lips thinned and his eyes narrowed sharply. “Did they also tell you not to write to me all summer? I thought something might have happened to you! Did you even think about me at all?” he said a little loudly. Where were his friends when he was dragged to Japan and forced to undergo a surgery with terrible consequences? He wanted so badly to trust them with what he was now but obviously this made it clear that he couldn’t.

Stuttering, Ron tried to explain that Dumbledore had told them it wasn’t safe to write but Harry wasn’t interested anymore. No matter who or why someone told them not to contact him it was inexcusable. Hermione was a muggleborn. She could certainly look him up in the phone book and give him a call.

“Just forget it for now. What is this Order all about?”

Ron hesitated, clearly unnerved by Harry’s anger, but explained anyways. “They're like this secret faction fighting You-Know-Who. Mum won't let any of us in though. I don't see why not though; every year we always are in the middle of it anyways. I don't see them anywhere nearby when You-Know-Who is almost killing you.”

Harry snorted, agreeing one hundred percent.

“But we've got a secret weapon,” a mischievous voice whispered in their ears. Ron and Harry jumped, turning to stare at the twins who were grinning behind them holding tan fleshy ears on strings.

“Okaaaay. What's with the ears?”

“These my young friends are prototype listening devices we've come up with. Observe.”

They placed the ears beside the crack of the door and dragged the string end up the stairs behind them. At the top out of sight they held them up to their ears and everyone could easily make out voices, most likely those in the Order meeting. Ron and Harry's faces lit up in glee.

“This is awesome!” Harry exclaimed. Ron nodding fervently in agreement.

“Shh” 

“Alright, everyone, let's begin the meeting,” spoke Dumbledore. “Is there any news to report? Severus?”

There was shuffling and crackling from the other end. “The Dark Lord is still gathering forces. He's focusing on Azkaban at the moment though I've heard whispers of something else. There is apparently something in Japan of interest to him.”

“Japan? What's in Japan?” someone asked. 

“Ghouls” Snape replied with his patented sneer.

“Ghouls? What the hell are those?”

“Flesh eaters” Lupin murmured.

“What?”

“They are human in appearance but prey on human flesh and as far as I know, they are endemic to Japan. The country has been in constant conflict with them for the last twenty years but is now seeking a truce. The ghouls are just as intelligent as any human. They can be reasoned with but there are so many issues in the way; the least of them being their need for human flesh.”

Lupin's answer was very thorough.

“They sound like monsters,” someone murmured.

Lupin laughed, a sarcastic tone in his voice. “No more a monster than a cat to a mouse. If the International Convention decides to allow Japan to open its borders again then they will be everywhere. There will be regulations but ghouls will be allowed to travel and live among humans.”

“Shit, you can't be serious.”

“He is correct,” Snape confirmed. “Unfortunately, Voldemort has also decided to use this to his advantage whether the restrictions are lifted or not. There is a ghoul terrorist organization called Aogiri Tree that he is particularly eager to contact.”

Dumbledore sighed. “Thank you Severus.”

The rest after that was pretty boring. Lupin was apparently trying to get buddy-buddy with werewolf packs that Voldemort was trying to recruit. Some Order members Harry didn't know had updates from within the Ministry who were still denying Voldemort's return. Idiots.

“And how is Harry, Molly?” Dumbledore asked. Harry froze, not expecting himself as a topic.

“Well...I'm a little concerned about him honestly. He doesn't seem to be eating well.”

“Oh boohoo, poor little savior” sneered Snape.

“It's not like that. He seems withdrawn, not quite himself.”

Dumbledore hummed softly. “Don't worry too much Molly. I'm sure he'll be fine but if not, let me know and I'll talk to him. With that, I conclude this meeting.”

The sound of scraping chairs and swishing fabric reached them even as they scrambled to roll up the listening devices.

They hurried down the hall to Harry and Ron's room where they sat on the beds facing each other.

“Woah” Ron breathed, leaning back on his arms. Harry nodded, hugging his knees to his chest. That conversation had truly disturbed him. Mostly because he was one of the “Flesh Eaters” now.

“Man, what do you think the Ministry's gonna do with this news?” Fred asked.

“Well, who says the restrictions will even be lifted? It might not even happen” Ron argued.

“Maybe...”

They all sighed, though Harry was still swimming in his own thoughts not paying any attention to his friends ensuing lighthearted conversation. Unlike his friends he wished the restrictions would lift. At least then he could live out in the open. Soon, everyone headed to bed. Harry lay awake for a while though, thoughts running like a dog chasing its tail through his head. Turning onto his side facing Ron, he hoped for a better future before finally drifting off for the night.


	3. Lies and Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again guys for reading. I got off work early yesterday and spent the rest of it writing. Hurray! Chapter Eleven is almost done. I'm not posting things right away because I keep going back and adding or taking things out as my plot progresses. Even though I know how it ends, sometimes the characters have a will of their own and do things I don't plan for them to do XD Also, keep sending questions because it helps me write better or things you'd like to see happen. I forget stuff even with Wiki.

Harry was curled up on a couch in the dusty Black family library around two in the afternoon reading a random book he'd picked up. He was looking up spells to help with his new ghoul habits. Smell diminishers and stomach emptying charms primarily. The sunlight was pouring in the double windows lighting up the dust motes hanging in the air. Harry had been in there most of the day hiding from the rest of the household. Sometimes, the sweet and savory smells of human flesh got to him after a while though hopefully for not much longer. Harry had finally found a spell that was helping him appear to be eating. He simply vanished the food with his wand underneath the table even as he pushed the food around and brought the empty fork to his lips. The illusion was all he needed to satisfy Mrs. Weasley.

He turned the page, absently digesting the words of the author. The soft sound of the door opening made him look up. Sirius stood in the doorway looking at him with an awkwardness Harry wasn't used to seeing in the consistently cheerful man.

“Hey Harry.” He sat down in the armchair nearby. He crossed his legs and shifted uneasily. The behavior only confused Harry more.

He put down his book and gave Sirius his full attention. “What's up?” he asked, a cheerful smile chasing his angst away briefly.

Sirius sighed. “Sorry, um, I'm not very good at this. I guess I thought we might try some bonding time you know? It's not like we get to see each other very often.”

Harry blinked. “Er, okay. What would you like to talk about?”

Sirius blushed. “Well, we don't necessarily have to talk! We can just sit if you like.”

Laughing, Harry patted the spot next to him on the couch which Sirius eagerly took. 

“You don’t have to be so nervous. Just ask me whatever you like.” Of course, it probably won’t end up being the truth. Sometimes, Harry felt like he was just living one big lie. Recent events hadn’t helped that feeling.

Sirius nodded. “I understand. How about we do some basics. What were some fun things you did as a kid? Favorite books, foods, I dunno.” He looked at Harry hopefully who smiled back.

Unfortunately, Harry really didn't have the best childhood. “Well, I had a pet rabbit for a little while; I called him Cotton,” he said with a nostalgic smile. He wouldn't tell Sirius that he'd been killed by Dudley shortly after he started taking care of the little gray bunny. 

“I liked to go to the library and read sci-fi and fantasy books. My favorite food is...steak and kidney pie.” Well, it used to be at least. “My favorite dessert is treacle tart. Um...I love to ride on roller coasters and once, I went to the beach.” Now, he was spinning lies like a spider. He'd never even ridden a roller coaster but he'd gone to an amusement park that had them on Dudley's 8th birthday. And as for a beach, that hut out in the middle of the ocean was kind of on a beach.

Sirius was nodding through it all, soaking up every last detail. When Harry finished, he thought hard about what to share. “Well, anyone you ask will tell you I hated my family. They practiced the Dark Arts and I decided not to follow in their footsteps. My younger brother, Regulus, got ensnared by the Dark Lord though when I left home to live with James and his parents. My parents struck me off the family tree so Regulus became heir apparent. Trust me, it's a huge title to live up to. I didn't want anything to do with it but by abandoning it I also forced it onto Regulus who shouldn't have had to go through that hell.” He went quiet, contemplating these dark memories.

“Your father on the other hand was the brightest spot in my life. His parents were so kind, gave him everything y'know. It's no wonder he was a bit of a spoiled prat.” He laughed morosely. “He had to be the bravest soul though. Braver than Gryffindor himself. It's amazing how much you're like him. Sometimes, I get confused. I don't mean to but my memories were all I had in Azkaban. They cloud my reasoning sometimes,” he explained a bit brokenly.

Harry put his hand over Sirius's much larger, rougher one, putting all his love into that touch. Sirius clutched it like a lifeline.

They talked a bit longer. Harry gave an amended version of his childhood days and adventures at Hogwarts. He liked Sirius, he really did. There was nothing he wanted more than to have at least one adult he could really depend on, especially with the connection he offered to his parents but he’d been alone so long that sometimes he felt like he couldn’t connect any deeper. Despite Sirius' desperate attempts Harry was just a fake, a filthy liar and now a murderer of multiple people. Sirius would never accept him now even if he managed to truly open up. Life was so wretchedly unfair to him. But perhaps it would be okay to pretend...at least for now. 

Hermione arrived two weeks later rather than the one Ron had claimed. She arrived just in time for his birthday celebration which Mrs. Weasley was feverishly planning. Harry just wanted the dreaded day to pass already so he could move on with life.

He was still a bit cold to Ron and Hermione didn’t lighten that feeling at all. He was just as angry at her and let her know it as soon as the trio was alone. She was apologetic of course and Harry grudgingly forgave her because he honestly didn’t have any other friends and didn’t feel like working to make new ones.

The day before the party, Dumbledore stopped by the house, quickly going in to talk with Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen. One silencing ward later, and the three of them might as well have not even been in the room. The rapid paling of Mrs. Weasley's face, however, clued them in that whatever it was wasn't good. Her hands flew to her mouth, tears pooling in her eyes. Now they were really worried.

Finally, Dumbledore disabled the silencing spell. She immediately went to Harry, hugging him tight. Uncomfortable and breathing through his mouth, as her sugary odor was overpowering this close, Harry patted her back awkwardly. 

“What's the matter?” he asked.

Dumbledore took a deep breath. “It's your relatives Harry.”

Immediately, Harry's insides iced over, anxiety of being discovered chilling him to the bone. “What about them?” He asked rather woodenly.

“I just received word from Mrs. Figg.”

Harry blinked, confused as to how Dumbledore knew his old babysitter. “The crazy cat lady down the street?”

“She is in fact a squib. I asked her to keep an eye on the area as an extra precaution.”

All Harry heard was that Dumbledore apparently liked spying on him. His right eye twitched a little.

“What's your point?” he muttered sullenly.

“She notified me that your aunt and uncle haven't been seen at home in nearly a month. Police have been combing the area.” He took a deep breath before saying, “We believe Voldemort has them.”

Harry froze, fear and relief warring inside him. He gulped, putting on his best shocked face. “How-how do you know?”

“Mrs. Figg stated that they hadn't even been home a day from vacation before they disappeared. She didn't see the Dark Mark cast but she says she saw some suspicious figures leaving the premises three days later.”

“What?” Harry didn't have to pretend his horror, wondering if they'd figured out it was him somehow. No one was looking at him in fear though.

“Don’t worry Harry, we'll do everything we can to find them,” Sirius reassured.

Harry nodded silently, not trusting himself to say anything. Molly wrapped an arm around his shoulders hugging him close. His heart beat faster as her smell enveloped him but he stomped the urge to kill down. He could feel his eye changing beneath the glamour making him twitch rather harshly for a second. He trusted his glamor but with Mad-Eye in the room, his eye could be seen. He waited until he felt it settle to extricate himself.

“Thanks Mrs. Weasley,” he muttered. She squeezed him once more before letting him go.

“So now what?” Harry asked.

“Well, how about a Quidditch game with the others? No need to waste such a beautiful day, huh?” Sirius grinned nervously, trying to lighten the mood. 

“No, absolutely not,” Mad-Eye barked, crossing his arms. “It's much too dangerous to step one foot outside.”

“Then raise some damn wards!” Sirius snapped. “We're going insane in here for Merlin's sake!”

Harry was mildly impressed for a second since this place seemed to really kill Sirius’ willpower most of the time. Mad-Eye stubbornly tried to resist but eventually gave in as long as they were supervised.

“Awesome! Ready Harry?” Sirius exclaimed.

Harry grinned, “Yeah!” 

His stomach churned uncomfortably the rest of the afternoon however, unable to forget the reminder of his relative’s fate. 

“You okay Harry?” Ginny asked, her red hair glinting golden in the light. Her smell was bright like spun sugar or something equally sweet, fruit and caramel chews. He swallowed the saliva gathering across his tongue, wiping a little sweat off his brow at the same time.

“I'll be fine,” he replied with a shrug. “Let's just have some fun.” He pretended he didn't see the desirous look in her hazel eyes as he hurried a little faster towards the wide grassy field at the back of the house. Ron, the twins, and the two eldest Weasleys were already there with brooms in hand and prepping the balls for play. Hermione sat on a folding chair nearby reading a relatively thin book and completely ignoring them.

Ron waved as soon as he saw them. “Ready Harry? We've already sorted into teams. I'll be keeper, Fred will be beater, you're seeker, and Charlie will be chaser. On the other team: Bill will be chaser, Ginny is seeker, George is beater, and Hermione is our reluctant keeper.” Harry gaped and stared at Hermione who sighed and bookmarked her page. The twins wolf whistled loudly.

“Yes, I agreed to play but just this once. Don't expect it again.” She drawled, rolling her eyes.

Everyone formed a circle and mounted their brooms. “Everyone play fair now,” Charlie grinned with a wink.

The game was fast but relaxed compared to the games at school. Harry thoroughly enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his skin and the breeze ruffling his messy hair. He followed the old snitch lazily which zigzagged crookedly towards the gables of Grimmauld's roof. Ginny shot up from below and tried to cut him off but he was easily several steps ahead of her due to his heightened senses. She shrieked as she spun a bit on her axis trying to right herself.

“Harry!” 

He laughed, hand closing around the feebly fluttering snitch. “Got it!” he yelled. A collective groan rose up behind him.

“Well, at least it lasts longer with the handicaps” Ron complained.

“Ten, twenty, I don't think anything can keep Harry from catching the snitch” Fred snickered. Harry rolled his eyes, but couldn’t quite keep the blush from his cheeks, and touched down with the rest of his friends. The sun was descending lower in the sky indicating they'd been playing for at least a few hours. 

“Kids, help me set the table!” Molly yelled as she directed tables with her wand to form a 'u' shape facing the house. As they approached they could also hear Mad-Eye snarling and griping about it “being unsafe to stay out any longer” but everyone just ignored him.

Ron groaned along with the twins but helped carry plates and bowls of food outside along with the other guests staying in the house. Harry tried to stick with anything that didn't involve food.

Dinner outside was a fun change of pace though once again Harry mostly just poked and vanished his food off and on. He didn't notice Sirius and Molly frequently glancing worriedly at him across the table. After dinner, they trooped back inside and settled down with some tea. To Harry it was like drinking dirty dishwater though at least the gifts were nice. They played a few rounds of exploding snap before finally retiring for the night.

With a tired sigh, he said good night and collapsed into bed upstairs. Ron came in not much later, yawning widely as well. He must have fallen asleep almost instantly because the next thing he knew he was dreaming of a day much like today but different. Instead of sunny, the sky was turning dark, the snitch disappeared before he could catch it flying off into the tumultuous clouds. Thunder rumbled before a bright flash of lightning split the sky and rain started to fall.

The grass quickly flattened beneath the onslaught turning slick and muddy. The rain stole his friend's words but he could still see their horror, still see the shock on Ginny's face as her head alone landed upon the wet grass. His friends screamed, Harry's kagune emerging and his single kakugan flaring to life. Everyone froze and in that single heartbeat, everything was quiet before...

One tentacle speared Ron straight through the chest ripping him open like a packet of crisps, another slicing off George's torso. His friends were next though they cried and begged he ripped them open like he had Dudley and feasted on their innards one at a time. The rain became red and streams of blood flowed away down the hill like snakes. Blood spiraled and hypnotized him as he entered the house and continued murdering and snatching bites of flesh from each of his victims.

“Harry”

Harry blinked. That had sounded like Ron, but Ron was dead.

“Harry! Wake up!”

Harry blinked awake, staring up at a living Ron. For a moment, a vision of Ron with gaping holes where his eyes should be and burned flesh overlaid his face but quickly shook it away.

“What's going on?” he mumbled, rubbing bleary green eyes.

Ron just laughed. “It's your birthday of course! I bet mum has something prepared for you for breakfast.”

Harry nodded, scowling behind Ron's back as he raced out the door. It wasn't until he started to get dressed that he realized his hands were shaking. That dream had felt so real, had scared him to hell and back. It made him sick to think that he could even imagine killing his friends.

Downstairs, a large crowd consisting of the Weasley family, Sirius, and Remus had gathered in the kitchen. They greeted him happily. Harry smiled back, laughing as everyone congratulated him. The twins began singing “Happy Birthday” in ridiculously squeaky voices.

“Thanks you guys.”

Mrs. Weasley began serving everyone pancakes drowning in maple syrup as soon as they all sat down. A cold sick dread filled Harry but he afforded a few bites before he simply started vanishing stuff. Whenever he noticed someone looking towards him he would take a few bites before stopping. Everyone split up after that, Mrs. Weasley reminding everyone not to forget about Harry's party tonight. Harry just wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep the day away honestly. He wasn't used to so much attention.

Him, Ron, and Hermione then spent the day outside playing Quidditch or lying in the grass. They were only able to convince Hermione for one game but she refused to play any more than that. Harry eventually found a moment to go to the bathroom where he vomited as quickly as he could the food in his stomach. Next, he hurriedly ate a little from his stash, noting with dread that there wouldn't be any more left for another episode. 

He would have to hunt.

A week after his birthday, Harry carefully pushed the front door open, checking frequently for any one following him. The street was quiet; it was the middle of the night. The street lamps glowed dimly above the dark houses; a cat mewed softly somewhere down the way. The door closed softly behind him, the light from the foyer cutting off abruptly. He walked around potholes and crumbling sidewalk edges as he made his way farther and farther from the house.

A sudden sound piqued his ear, the sound of a car door slamming. He headed towards it to see a faded green car parked in the driveway of a house with peeling white paint. A young man got out hauling a young girl behind him about fourteen. She was crying and wailing fiercely against the man's grip who finally slapped her in a fit of rage.

“Shit, girl stop your whining already!” He shook her harshly.

Harry followed, a shivering horror rising in his gut. He ducked behind the car, watching as they entered the front door. His advanced hearing could pick up small cries from inside. It didn't take any more convincing for him to make this man his meal for the month.

Activating his kagune, he tore the door open, entering an empty hallway. Stairs went up to his right but he could hear sobbing from below where he quickly headed towards. A man in the kitchen at the end of the hallway looked up in surprise when he saw him enter. 

“Fuck, who the hell are you?” he snarled. He was tall and dark skinned with brown eyes and curly hair. He took one look at the blood red tentacles curving up behind Harry like claws and grabbed the chopping knife he'd been using from the counter. Harry's upper right tentacle immediately tried to disarm him but the knife warded it off until Harry's other tentacles descended, ripping the knife from the man before disemboweling him. 

The body slumped against the cabinets, silent at last as blood pooled beneath. Harry followed the sounds of muffled crying through a short hallway then down a creaky set of basement stairs. He was met with the sight of two rows of five beds, each with a girl or woman chained to the metal headboards. Shocked, his guard was down long enough for a man hiding behind a chest of drawers to get in a lucky shot. Harry grunted as a bullet entered his left arm. He growled, blood lust rising in his gut until his vision turned a hazy red. The man didn't last long as Harry quickly dismembered him until he'd bled out on the concrete floor.

He turned to the women who screamed and fought against their restraints desperately.

Harry's blood lust immediately disappeared as horror set in. “Hey, hey! It's okay! I'm not here to hurt you,” he assured them but they wouldn't listen. He quickly set about slicing through their chains but when they didn't dare move he snagged a bed sheet and started gathering up the pieces of the man on the floor. He then dashed upstairs as quickly as he could to gather up the remains of the other man. Everything was quiet outside as he slunk to the side of the house to eat his meal in peace. 

The blood turned sticky against the skin of his hands and cheeks drying and flaking away like rust. The smell of roast chicken and mashed potatoes filled his nose but it was only an illusion. The slick muscle and meat in his mouth tasted similar but better. So much better. The blood sweet as he slurped it from the man's amputated limbs. He sniffled, a small tear fled down his cheek as he ate his fill for the first time in weeks. 

Gradually, the air began to grow colder, frost cracking across the dirty windows of the alleyway. Harry frowned, rising from his crouched position, his kagune arching and sharpening into a defensive stance. What was that sound?

At the end of the alley, a figure crossed through the pool of light thrown by the street lamp, a long moth eaten robe fluttering in the breeze. A long skeletal hand reached out as the coldness worsened, freezing Harry's breath.

Dementor.

What was it doing here in the middle of a muggle neighborhood? Backing away, he waited for the cries of his mother's screams to ring in his ears, for the unfortunate wails of his father as he fought off Voldemort...but they never came.

Harry blinked, standing still as he processed the fact that he was experiencing no pain or despairing memories, only confusion at the lack thereof. The Dementor also paused as if somehow sensing this. It was now standing quite close to the remains of Harry's dinner which it seemed to be observing curiously.

Eventually, it lost interest and floated back the way it came. Harry followed it, exiting the alley to observe its retreat. He had no idea why he'd been unaffected but he was thankful all the same. He turned back to his dinner and gathered up the leftovers in the sheet to take home. This would get him through September and October if he was careful and then when it ran out, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.


	4. Off to See the CCG!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya everybody! I could have updated a bit earlier but I've been a bit busy. Plus I had to take a break from writing because chapter 11 was giving me a headache. Some great ideas came to me at work yesterday though. Now I just have to write it lol. Hope you all like this chapter. Let me know if you have questions of if I missed something! :)

“I can't believe this might actually go through.”

Akira grimaced at her partner's, Amon's, remark. They were at their favorite bar since the raid on the ghoul labs where they had gone the night of and never stopped. Currently, Amon was lamenting the approaching decision of the International Conference. Tsuneyoshi Washuu was there representing the CCG alongside the President of Japan. Instead of swords they would soon be plows.

“If it brings peace then who are we to complain?” she murmured before downing a finger of sake.

Amon grumbled, throwing back his own alcohol. It was nearing the end of August and a horribly muggy summer. They sat near the open windows steadily draining the bar's supply of sake and beer. Despite blaming him for the death of her father the night after the raid, Akira had humbly apologized the next day for her terrible behavior. Amon had not held it against her; she'd been drunk out of her mind anyways.

“But how long will that peace last? Ghouls are blood-thirsty and proud. I doubt they're just going to line up to be registered like animals.”

Akira shrugged. “You're right; this won't be an easy transition for anyone. There's a lot of bad blood between our groups. But they will hire new blood, create new alliances. There's no doubt we will still have to fight. We'll just be special police forces instead of mercenaries.” Amon nodded in agreement.

The TV in the corner flashed blue, a breaking news headline scrolling across the screen. Amon's heart sank. They had known the decision would be announced tonight but that still didn't prepare him for the cold dread that filled his heart when he saw it.

International Conference Adjourns: Ghoul Registration Act Approved.

Meanwhile...

All of Anteiku was silent, watching the live broadcast. It was almost ten o'clock at night. Touka, Kaneki, and Nishiki all sat at one table while Roma, Irimi, and Enji sat at another table. The manager stood behind the counter polishing glasses thoughtfully while Hinami sat on a bar stool swinging her legs back and forth. 

“Ah, here it is!” Enji grabbed the remote and turned the volume up. 

“Reporting live from the International Conference, I'm Haruse Yoko. Months of debate have finally yielded a result to the highly anticipated Ghoul Registration Debate. As of now, all Ghouls will be required to report to a CCG Registration site by 4 o' clock on the date of XX. Psychological evaluations will be handled by approved physicians and Medical Teams will be on site. Please--”

“Shit,” Enji breathed.

Everyone was likewise horrified. Tagged like animals.

Was this their price for peace?

Across town...

Akihiro Kanou smiled at the TV, enjoying a chilled glass of Don Perignon as he reclined against his black leather sofa after dinner. He had known it would pass. It was inevitable with so much talk of equality in the world of today. Chuckling, he swirled his glass and took a slow sip. He wondered what Harry would do with this news. Being in a foreign country, he would be unable to reach Japan for the registration. 

“Daddy?”

Kanou turned to see Kurona, his...daughter in the doorway. Her gray nightdress was rumpled and long black hair askew. Her single ghoul eye watched him curiously. There were obvious signs of distress lingering in her expression but she was hiding them expertly and he, well, he honestly could care less. She was just a tool, an early success that eventually led to Kaneki's perfect transformation.

“Can't sleep darling?” he murmured against the rim of his glass, the firelight casting half his face into shadow.

She looked away, her hair glowing orange from the fire. “I keep dreaming of Nashiro,” she mumbled, a slight sniffle hidden in her words.

Kanou sighed and motioned her over. She hurried to his side and snuggled into his chest. “I know you miss her sweet heart.” He petted her head with his left hand. “Actually, I've been saving a little surprise for you but maybe you'd like it a bit early...”

She looked up curiously, tear tracks drying slowly. “What is it daddy?”

“Well...a few months ago I met a young boy in the hospital and changed him into a ghoul.” Her eyes widened. “At some point I want you to meet him since he is like your brother now. Unfortunately, he had to return to England so I can't exactly go to him at my leisure. The paperwork to adopt him is a slow process even with his relatives being dead. I would like you to meet him; he needs someone to guide him during this stressful time.”

She gaped. “But daddy, that's halfway across the world!”

“I know, I know” he shushed, smoothing her soft hair back. “But you can call me at any time. I'll supply your ticket. All you have to do is kill a registered ghoul and take their place.” There was silence for a few minutes as Kurona digested this. 

Kanou sighed and lifted Kurona's delicate chin. “No one will ever replace Nashiro darling, but you must move on. You cannot wallow in this emotion forever,” he urged. 

Kurona nodded hesitantly. “Okay daddy. I'll go.”

“Very good.” He smirked. The wheels were in motion. Perhaps Harry would remain unknown...or perhaps he would throw a spanner in the works.

XXX

The final date of the registration quickly approached. Many ghouls were too afraid to step out of the shadows for fear of being ambushed. It wasn't until a week before the deadline that a few brave souls began to trickle in. The 20th ward was holding the registration inside a huge soccer stadium. All of Anteiku arrived together, looking around suspiciously but having not sprung a trap they continued inside. None of them wore their masks as a peace offering though they were on hand just in case. There were several tables set up in the middle which looked to sort them all by alphabet.

Kaneki glanced at Touka who was clenching her jaw so tight to keep her anger reigned that he thought her teeth might break. 

“Oh, um, hello, you're here for the registration, right? Of course you are, sorry,” the young man at the door laughed, greeting them awkwardly. “If you'll please go to the table that corresponds to the first letter of your surname. Thank you.”

Kaneki sighed, glancing around for “k”. He found it though he hated to go up to the person behind the table. Why did it have to be him?

“Name?” Amon asked, having yet to look up but noticing the shadow hovering across the white tablecloth.

“Kaneki Ken.”

Amon blinked and looked up at him. The white hair was quite trademark, the build lean and strong though average height. His eyes were normal, dark, but not ghoulish. He wore black dress slacks and a collared white button up shirt with a casual black vest and tie. Most of all, he seemed familiar. With the white hair, this one could only be...

“Eyepatch?”

Kaneki's mouth quirked. “It's nice to meet you face to face, Amon-san.”

Amon laughed. “So all the other times don't count?” He cocked his head in confusion. “Where is your eyepatch?”

Kaneki laughed. “I only wore that because my kakugan activated by itself sometimes when I was younger”, then, he shrugged, “And I was wearing a mask all the other times; they don't count.”

“Right. Well, if you'll just step behind the curtain there. The physical and psychological evaluation will take about an hour...good luck.” Kaneki snorted and strode confidently around the table, pushing the curtain out of the way. A small man with messy black hair and square glasses greeted him. 

“Ah, hello, name please?”

Kaneki's lips thinned further. The man's anxiety was making his blood-thirst expand inside his chest a bit. “Kaneki Ken.”

The man nodded, licking his lips nervously. “Please step on the scale Kaneki-san.”

Kaneki complied, allowing his blood to be drawn next as well as pictures to be taken of him with and without his Kagune and Kakugan activated. After a few more tests, the doctor handed him a sheaf of papers then left him, possibly to attend to another ghoul.

The questions ranged from highest education achieved to how often he needed to eat. Halfway through the questions changed to more personal ones which made Kaneki think he'd entered the psych portion. Eventually, the doctor came back, asked him a few more questions, then deemed him fit for human society. Last, he received an ID card to prove he'd been registered. Kaneki scowled at the stupid piece of plastic but placed it in his wallet anyways. A small metal bracelet was also given to him as a secondary ID in case he lost the card but Kaneki was definitely not wearing it...ever.

As he was leaving, he passed another familiar face. A young and feminine bleach blond with pale skin and large dark red eyes stood by Amon, talking quietly. He noticed his stare, grinning wildly back. Kaneki snorted. Juuzou Suzuya was way further into insanity than he was by the looks of that smile.

“Eyepatch-kun?” he chirped.

Kaneki's smile strained. He had little patience as it was and he was still recovering his human side so it was taking every ounce of his being not to lash out at this annoying kid.

“Yes?”

“But your name is really Kaneki-kun?”

He eyed him warily. But the boy just stuck his hand out. “I'm Suzuya Juuzou. Nice to meet you.”

Kaneki cocked his head, considering the offer. Best not to make enemies so soon he decided. “Kaneki Ken. It's a pleasure.” He bowed his head slightly after shaking the boy's delicate hand.

“Wah, this is so strange isn't it? All of us were fighting to the death not too long ago!”

Kaneki sighed, resigning himself to a longer conversation than he'd hoped. “You're not happy with it?”

Juuzou shrugged. “I think it will be interesting to say the least. And nothing is better than something interesting.”

Amon laughed behind Juuzou's back. Honestly, the boy could be a pain to talk to no matter how cute he was on the outside. It was nice to watch someone else suffer from it for once though.

Before Kaneki could answer though, someone shouted his name. Hinami came running towards him, the little metal ID bracelet around her wrist. His smile turned more genuine and when she went to hug him he lifted her up a little. Her long blue skirt swirled around her calves from the motion. Touka came up from behind her along with Nishiki.

“Did everything go alright?” he asked them.

Touka shrugged. “Besides feeling horribly invasive, it wasn't too bad.” Nishiki snorted. 

“Speak for yourself. Your kagune doesn't come out by your butt.” She smacked him on the shoulder for that comment. Hinami laughed and Kaneki's smile turned more gentle.

Amon and Juuzou watched a bit wide-eyed at the interaction. It was amazing how normal they acted. If they didn't already know they were ghouls they'd have thought they were normal human teenagers.

Nishiki sighed, placing his hands behind his head. “Let's find the manager and blow this joint already.”

“Ah, there's Irimi. Hey, Irimi!” Hinami waved to the Black Dog who smiled, heading their way. 

“How did it go, Hinami-chan?” she asked the young teen.

“Passed with flying colors of course. Although, she said my education is a little stunted. Mom could only teach me so much by herself.” She frowned sadly at the thought of her mother who'd died protecting her a year ago.

Kaneki ruffled her hair. “Don't worry so much. You're smart; you'll catch up.”

Hinami beamed up at him. “Thank you Kaneki nii-san.”

“Oh, I see the manager. Come on!” Touka motioned for everyone to follow before heading off into the crowd. The others followed though a little slower as they chatted amicably.

Amon exhaled a long breath. “Well...that was interesting.” He glanced at Juuzou who was grinning widely. 

“I didn't think I could like a bunch of ghouls” he said bemused at the idea.

Amon nodded before changing the subject. “Wanna join Akira and I tonight?” he asked his partner.

Juuzou perked up. “Sure! Can't drink yet though y'know.”

Amon laughed. “You can make sure we make it home in one piece then. Akira's an absolute lightweight.”

“Funny since she tries to be so macho all the time.” They both laughed, preparing for the next wave of ghouls waiting to be registered.

XXX

Kurona waited quietly in the shadows as a ghoul with similar features and build like her own passed by. Her life was about to come to an abrupt end. Kurona's kagune snaked out and quickly dragged her into the shadows, cutting off any potential cry with a swift slash to the throat. She took off the girl's clothes and ID bracelet before feasting on her flesh leaving nothing behind but some glistening saliva. She cleaned herself of blood and donned the dead girl's clothes snapping the ID bracelet on her thin wrist.

The moon was her only witness as she left the alley and headed towards the airport. With the girl  
's flesh inside her being assimilated into her kakuhou, for a short time the RC detectors would recognize her as the other girl, Akane Kurosawa.

She took a deep breath, controlling her kakugan as she entered the airport, readying the passports Akane had been carrying as well. She'd carefully picked this girl, hearing from her sources that she was planning to board the first plane she could out of Japan, that she'd been successful in getting the first passport for a ghoul. She was able to get a last minute ticket to England, nervously waiting to pass through security where the RC detectors would be.

Putting her single carry on through the detector she then passed through herself. The light flashed red. Immediately, the security officer pulled her aside where she showed him her identification and ID bracelet. He nodded, his muddy brown eyes glaring at her darkly but saying nothing as he motioned her through. She breathed a long sigh before squaring her shoulders and heading into the terminal.

The school year was quickly approaching. They were leaving for Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies...with an escort of course. It was probably the most uncomfortable shopping he'd ever done. With a sigh, he tuned back into his friend's conversation about possible DADA teachers this year. Once he'd gotten the books he needed for the year he decided to browse a bit. He found some great supplemental books on Defense and on a whim bought a wizard's book of fairy tales. It fed his inner curiosity about all things wizard.

Between the books Harry noticed a familiar face in the next aisle over. White blond hair and pale skin denoted Draco Malfoy and where there was a Malfoy there was his posse. Harry vaguely noted that he smelled like steak and wine, maybe even a hint of rose. I don't think I'd mind eating him. Harry's stomach growled, his tongue wet his lips hungrily.

“Hey Harry, we only have the pet shop now. Do you need anything for Hedwig there?” Hermione asked, her arms weighed down with extra books. 

Harry snorted, refocusing on her. “Are you getting all of those?” 

“Of course not! These are just a few I picked out. I'll narrow it down before I get to the counter.” Harry laughed, not mentioning the manic gleam in her eye.

Ron caught up with them looking bored, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his faded black pants. “So are we done yet?” he asked.

Hermione grumbled. “Just a second Ron.” She reached the counter finally, exchanging her money with the clerk. He stacked them then wrapped them in paper, tying them with a string. 

“Have a nice day, miss.”

“You too.”

They headed out of the store towards Eyelops Emporium, Harry easily sniffing out their undercover guard following close behind. The bell rang above the door as they entered. They separated to gather their individual purchases. Hermione picked up some cat treats and toys for Crookshanks and Harry zeroed in on the owl treats. Some frozen mice and kibble later, they left the pet shop. 

“All done kids?” Mr. Weasley asked after joining up at the entrance to Diagon Alley. The rest of the Weasley brood drifted in accompanied by Order Members. “Alright, how about we all have some lunch in the Leaky Cauldron before heading home?” The kids cheered for this and zoomed inside to take a seat, checking out the menu. Harry picked a thin soup that would go down easy and come up just as easy sadly enough.

As their food was being set on the table, the door to muggle London opened, a tall young girl with shoulder-length black hair and pale skin standing in the doorway. Her eyes were a dark gray like swirling storm clouds. Harry was immediately enthralled. Her smell was very different from every human so far. She didn't smell like food for one but there was a subtle spice beneath the cloud of floral undertones. Strangely enough, her eyes instantly met his.

Stammering excuses for the loo, he went down the empty hallway where he'd seen her go. “Hello?” he called. “Excuse me, I--” he paused when he saw her leaning against the wall right around the corner. Up close, her scent was even stronger and he had to stop himself from leaning into it.

She stood up straight. “Harry Potter?” she asked.

Harry blushed, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, that's me but um, who are you? And how do you know me?” he added.

She chuckled at his cute mannerisms. He was a few inches shorter than her and had a rather adorable pout. She could already tell she was gonna love him. “I am Kanou Kurona. Kanou Akihiro's daughter.”

“Oh, Doctor Kanou!” he exclaimed, quickly shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “Why would...er, why are you here though?”

She smiled. Harry was shocked to see her left eye change, the white becoming black and gray turning crimson. Harry’s heart nearly stopped.

“You're--”

“That's right. I'm like you. Dr. Kanou adopted me after saving my life several years ago. He sent me as soon as the Ghoul Registration Act passed. He knew you were struggling here by yourself and wanted someone to help guide you through your new instincts. Seeing as I used to be human, I am more than capable of assisting you.”

“Wow, but still...why are you here, especially here?” he glanced down the hall, making sure no one was coming. “Are you a witch?”

Kurona smirked. “Funny story really. No sooner had I arrived in England did I receive a strange letter carried by an owl of all things. I was sure it was a joke until someone arrived at my hotel room and showed me...proof. Next thing I know I have to come here since this place apparently holds the entrance to some “Daigilly” They even gave me a bracelet so I didn’t have to learn English the long and painful way.” She snickered, holding up her wrist on which rested a silver bangle inset with tiny garnets between short runic phrases.

Harry laughed at her mangled pronunciation. “Yeah, I was the same way. I was raised with muggles so--”

“Wait, muggles?” Kurona quizzed skeptically. It probably didn’t translate well.

“Oh! Sorry, muggles are non-magic folk.” He hesitated before asking quietly, “Did Doctor Kanou tell you what happened to them?” His deep shame and fear welled up causing his breath to skip.

Kurona bit her lip, struggling not to just glomp the poor dear. He was clearly in need of some big sisterly love. “He did,” she tried to say as gently as she could. “Which is why he is pushing to adopt you right now.”

Harry’s breath stopped for a whole new reason. “What?” he breathed. He could hardly believe what he’d just heard.

“It might take some time though. Probably the earliest it could be official is next summer but I’m sure he’ll be able to swing things so you can visit during winter break.”

Harry gulped down the tears beginning to blur his vision. He was only partially successful. Kurona meanwhile couldn’t keep herself from embracing her soon-to-be-brother. She felt sure in that instant that Nashiro was happy and could now rest knowing her other half had a new lost soul to watch after. She missed her sister dearly but could see the old defeated and worn out look Nashiro had used to wear in Harry’s eyes. She would be sure he wouldn’t end up destroyed like Nashiro had been.

“So, do you want to meet my friends? They’re just out there” he offered with a small smile, his head nodding to indicate the direction to the main room.

She nodded, following him into the restaurant, her ghoul eye fading back to normal. He approached a table of two smaller tables pushed together with at least twelve people seated around it. They were all very strangely dressed in varying shades of colors. One woman's hair continually changed color on top of the magenta robe she was wearing.

They turned to greet Harry but paused when they saw his friend. One of the men, a grizzly gray haired fellow with a chunk taken out of his nose, started to rise from the table threateningly causing Kurona to tense for a fight. “Guys, this is Kurona. She's a friend of mine from, uh, Privet Drive.” Kurona took the hint and nodded along.

“And how do ya know she's safe, huh?” the grizzly man sneered. “She could be a Death Eater for all you know!”

Harry exhaled a long impatient breath, rolling his eyes. “No, she's not a Death Eater. She has no Dark Mark.”

“I'd prefer to check myself” Grizzly growled suspiciously.

“No way!” he snapped. “Back. Off!”A little killing intent seeped into his words accidentally. The people at the table tensed. 

“Is that a threat?” Grizzly snapped.

“No, it's a warning. Kurona is my friend and I'm not gonna let you say anything bad about her.”

Kurona cocked her head, interested in Harry's response. He was defending her even though he'd only just met her. It seemed he had already instinctively bonded with her just as a newborn ghoul would to the first ghoul they met. Her heart softened a little, the cold, frozen part of her heart where Nashiro had lived thawing further.

“Thank you Harry,” she put her arm around his shoulders making him smile back at her. It was odd how short he was next to her. She wasn’t used to feeling tall. “It's nice to meet all of you. Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Kurona Kanou.” She bowed a respectful distance. She noted out of the corner of her eye how one of the girls with auburn hair glared daggers at her, fists turning white against the dark wood of the table.

“May I ask for your names?” she asked politely.

None of them volunteered but Harry didn't mind. Enthusiastically he listed each person telling her their relationships and who was related though Kurona could easily see the redheads were naturally related. Dr. Kanou had told her Harry was fifteen and she was sixteen. Though not by much, she was quickly establishing herself as an older sister in this relationship.

Hermione couldn't keep quiet for long though. “So what is Japan like Ms. Kanou? I heard recently about the Ghoul Registration Act. What do you think about Ghouls living out in the open? How--”

“Hermione!” Harry laughed. “One at a time,” he snickered. 

Hermione blushed, rolling her eyes a bit. “Sorry about that. Okay, just one question then: where did you learn English?”

Kurona laughed and indicated the translation bracelet around her wrist. “A professor gave it to me during their visit a week ago. I had no idea I could be a witch until coming here.” She purposefully ignored her previous questions about ghouls.

Hermione, of course, perked up instantly. “So you have a lot of catching up to do then? I could help tutor you if you like, well, with things until fifth year obviously since I haven’t even completed that yet” she laughed.

“Thank you. I would much appreciate that” Kurona agreed with the excitable younger witch.

As they wrapped up lunch, Harry dug in his pocket for some spare parchment and a pen he kept for emergencies. He quickly wrote the address of the house next to Grimmauld Place (he couldn't divulge the secret of 12 Grimmauld but he could easily give the general location) hoping nobody would notice. 

“Meet me here before September 1; that's when I'll be leaving for school. We can talk more then.” He gave her a quick hug before leaving the Leaky Cauldron.

Kurona hadn't known what to expect and had simply expected to treat this like any assignment but now... Now she wanted this to be real. She missed Nashiro so much. Now she could have a sibling again and repair that broken bond. Thank you Harry, she smiled, eyes closing happily as she stepped into the light of Diagon Alley.


	5. It's a Wonderful World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this. I'm not terribly fond of this chapter but oh well. I figured you guys waited long enough.

A few days later, Kurona appeared outside Grimmauld Place across the street. He'd been checking for her every night so as soon as he could get away he snuck outside the house by way of his room's window. There was a small lip from the roof tiles that wrapped around the second floor. Using his kagune he carefully climbed down and set off across the street flooded by moonlight and the yellow halos of street lamps.

“Harry!” Kurona with her dark hair gathered in a loose bun atop her head, hugged him tight, her accent and higher voice lilting like a child’s. “It's good to see you. How have you been eating? Everything okay?” She held him at arm length so she could look him up and down.

“I'm fine Kuro.”

She snickered. “Nicknames already?” Leaping to the curb edge from the pavement, she held her arms up for balance as she walked the rounded edge.

Harry followed slowly behind. “I don't know why. I just feel...You'll think it's stupid,” he scoffed.

“No, I won't.”

Harry took a deep breath. “Well, I just feel like we're family somehow.”

She nodded. “It's probably time I explain some things to you, Harry. Things you'll need to know as a ghoul.” She led them to a small park a street away by cutting through yards and hopping over fences. Before long, they reached a small park with a jungle gym at the center and a row of black plastic swings where they took a seat side by side. Kurona automatically began pumping her legs to gain lift.

“Now, tell me what you've experienced so far.”

So Harry explained from the moment he woke up in the hospital to his ill spells after eating human food. The depression he'd been struggling to resist and the exhaustion from hiding his secret. Kurona nodded understandingly.

“Let me tell you something Harry: it will get easier. I have been a ghoul for almost two years but not once have I regretted it. Dad gave me the power to stand up for myself finally. Did you know I was once a student at the Junior CCG Academy?”

Harry's verdant eyes widened. “Those are the ghoul hunters right?”

“Yes, but as you've already seen there are sacrifices to living this life. We consume human flesh, Harry. It strengthens us but without it we become beasts, slaves to hunger. How often would you say you have to eat? It’s different for everyone and you can go longer the older you get,” she added.

“I would say once a month right now but I’ve been trying to make my kills last longer. It’s too dangerous to hunt around here.” Harry watched as some late night joggers passed, their scent like fresh hamburgers on a sunny summer day. He licked his lips, Kurona glancing at them curiously. 

“Feel like a hunt?” she asked with a sly grin. Her glossy pink lips shined in the overhead lamp light. 

Harry stretched and licked his lips, his eye flashing red. In a blur they were off, patiently stalking the pair until they’d gone closer to the trees bordering an empty lot. The jungle gym blocked the sightline from the street as they pounced. Harry tore the throat straight out with his teeth, the average brunet man gurgling wetly cradled in his kagune. He turned to Kurona to see she was already eating but her prey was still coherent enough to register the pain of being eaten alive. Her tongue was gone which explained her silence.

Harry took his time chewing the organs then sucking the marrow from the femurs. He patted his stomach and leaned against the tree. “Man, I’m full,” he groaned. He loved that feeling, one he’d had to live without for most of his life. It was getting rather addicting. Harry frowned at his bloody fingers, licking the sweet sanguine liquid from the tips.

“Y’know...once I’m done at Hogwarts I think I’ll just go somewhere far away. I’m tired of being stared at all the time and I want to be able to just be me, y’know?” He yawned, feeling tired from staying up so late. Kurona smiled and offered him one of her victim’s eyes, a deep hazel with green flecks around the rim and pupil. Harry considered it for a second before popping it in his mouth, the consistency like a smooth pudding inside a jello container.

“Hmm, you’ve been mistreated a long time haven’t you?” She touched his head gently, petting the smooth black hairs away from his forehead where his scar was clearly visible.

Harry scowled. “Yeah, I thought it would get better when I got accepted to Hogwarts but whatever. Wishful thinking I guess.” He sighed and plucked roughly at the grass, flattened and bloodied from the hunt.

“Humans are stupid. It’s like they’re destined to be food,” she snickered. Harry laughed a little, thinking of Dudley and how delicious he’d been. The Dursleys had been much more useful as food.

“Not all humans though,” Harry smiled, thinking of his friends. “I don’t know for sure if my friends would ever accept me but...I love them and I will protect them no matter what.” He paused, sighing sadly. “Even if it’s from me.” 

Kurona winced, unable to meet his fierce gaze. Those green eyes burned with an inner fire that reminded her of how Nashiro had always kept her humanity even after the change. Kurona had had no trouble abandoning that life without any friends to keep her in it but Nashiro had had Juuzou. They had been thick as thieves back then. Harry would learn in time. It was inevitable with the life he had been given.

“Then I will teach you control,” she replied. “And how to hunt properly so you don’t get caught.”

Harry smiled tentatively up at her. It bugged him that he was shorter than her but he knew his growth spurt was coming...eventually. 

September 1st arrived. Steam filled the crowded platform as the Weasley matriarch hustled her brood to the scarlet train's steps. Shouted goodbyes and hearty waves from numerous open windows accompanied the 'click clack' of the train wheels as the Hogwarts Express departed for another school year.

Harry and his friends relaxed as the familiar ride began, turning to activities like Exploding Snap and Gobstones. Eventually, Harry drifted off for a little while, only awaking right before their arrival. Ron roughly shook him awake, eliciting an annoyed glance from Harry as he stretched.

“Already?” he yawned.

Ron replied positively as he struggled to get his robes over his head. He exhaled loudly as he finally forced his head through the top. 

“Phew, come on Harry. I'm starving!”

Harry groaned inwardly. He stopped in his tracks, however, upon seeing the strangest looking horses he'd ever seen pulling the usually horseless carriages.

“Ron, what are those?” he asked.

Ron blinked in the direction he was pointing and shrugged blankly. “Carriages?” he queried in a tone that belied what he thought of Harry's sanity.

Harry rolled his eyes. “I know that but since when have creepy horses been pulling them?”

Ron scoffed. “Uh, how about never? There's nothing there, as usual,” he reiterated slowly.

Harry cast him a disbelieving stare about to argue further when a new voice interrupted him.

“I can see them.”

Harry blinked, turning to stare at the willowy blonde behind him wearing radish earrings, a cork bottle necklace, and a Ravenclaw uniform.

“Uh...you do?”

“Of course. I've always been able to see them. They're called thestrals,” she replied dreamily.

“What's a thestral?” Harry asked.

She smiled sweetly if not distantly. “They're a bad omen or that's what some people say. I don't think it's their fault they can only be seen by those who've seen death.”

Harry gulped. His mind flashed suddenly to the vivid red trail dripping from the corner of his aunt's mouth, the white tiles turning scarlet. He shuddered and shook his head, ridding himself of the damning thoughts.

“Though I suppose perhaps you are a worse omen,” she continued.

Harry flashed her a confused glance. “What?”

The girl smiled, whispering in his ear, “Well, you certainly aren’t human.” Harry froze, unable to respond as she walked, or rather floated, to the nearest empty carriage.

It took a lot of effort from Ron and Hermione to get him moving again and throughout the whole ride he was unresponsive. Deep in thought, he couldn't take his mind off what she'd said. He'd never even met her before!

Dinner was the usual grandiose affair although the new DADA teacher was a laugh. As the sorting began, Harry watched the line of new students dwindle until he spotted a very familiar girl towards the back.

“Do you see that Harry? Isn't that Kurona?” Hermione whispered excitedly.

Whispering broke out all across the Great Hall about the tall and slim beautiful girl who appeared way older than any first year. She stepped up beside McGonagall, sitting gracefully on the stool as the sorting hat covered her head. Thirty seconds later, the hat yelled “Slytherin!”

Shocked, Harry watched as Kurona took off the hat and bowed to the students before heading towards the green and silver table clapping sporadically. Harry wished she’d been in any other house. Slytherin would cause the most trouble if he wanted to be around her.

The rest of the feast passed slowly until finally Dumbledore said his parting words allowing the students to return to their Dorms. He told Ron and Hermione he'd be right back then darted through the crowd to find Kurona.

“K-Kurona?” he called, some of the Slytherins turning to glare at him but he only had eyes for Kurona who smiled once she spotted him. “Hi Harry.” She glared at the Slytherin student trying to subtly get her away from Harry. “How are you doing?” 

“W-well, fine. I just...well, I was hoping you’d be in Gryffindor.” To Kurona he looked rather petulant.

She snorted.“I would have loved to be in the same house as you but this doesn’t mean we can’t hang out.” She laughed melodiously, making a few sensitive students twitch towards her with barely concealed awe. It seemed the Hogwarts student body was already attracted to the slim Asian.

Harry blushed, hanging his head awkwardly. He was relieved that he wouldn't be abandoned over something as stupid as house rivalry. “That’s great!” He paused briefly when he noticed the glares he was receiving from the stream of Slytherin students exiting the hall.

“Well, if you ever need anything just let me know. I can help you find your way around or something” he stammered.

“I would love that hari-chan” she teased, ruffling his hair. Harry flushed for real this time. “K-kurona!” he whined, trying to flatten his hair back down. He cleared his throat, cheeks flushed a bright red. “Have a good night, okay?”

Harry nodded. “Thanks...onee-san” he mumbled shyly.

Giant sparkles lit her dark eyes like stars. “Aw, say 'oyasumi’', Harry. It means 'good night'.” 

Harry rolled his eyes. “Oyasumi nee-san.” She snickered and ruffled his hair one more time before gliding away with the rest of the straggling Slytherins.

“Wow, she's hot!” Ron exclaimed. “You're so lucky mate.” 

Harry scowled. “She's more like a sister, Ron.”

Ron was undeterred. “Well either way what a great feast. I'm stuffed!” He yawned widely as he patted his bulging stomach. “Can't wait for bed!”

“Really, is that the only thing you ever think about?” Hermione scolded.

“Of course not!” Ron protested. “There's Quidditch! You didn't even mention Quidditch!”

Hermione groaned, shaking her head. “I should've known,” she grumbled, good naturedly.

They eventually stopped before the portrait of the Fat Lady with the rest of the Gryffindors and spoke the password “Sol” before they stepped inside. The sconces were all lit along with the fireplace and the familiar colors of gold and crimson greeted them. 

“It's good to be home” Harry murmured as he looked around the common room for a comfortable spot to sit. Together, the three fifth years gathered around the fire to talk and reminisce just a little before the chaos of a new year settled in.

Morning arrived after a restless sleep with dream after dream of senseless imagery, a cacophony of blood and black, screams and accusations that devolved into a long hallway that never ended. He wasn't surprised really especially after he'd been worked up last night by Dean and Seamus accusing him of making up Voldemort's return. It threw him back to his life before Hogwarts when no one would ever believe that Dudley bullied him and Uncle Vernon was a disgusting drunk that hit and liked to verbally lash him often.

He soon found out that everyone was of a similar mind, staring at him like he was that snake in the zoo he'd set free when he was ten. Whispers and dark eyes followed him everywhere and even though he tried to keep his head down he couldn't help the rage that engulfed him when he caught them pointing at him. Ron and Hermione were a great buffer but he truly found peace with Kurona. Despite being in Slytherin, she was not at all afraid to be seen with him.

They met often in the library all week and together they reviewed the material she was learning which was a lot. Even though she was considered a sixth year, she still needed to learn material from first to fifth year which is where Hermione also came in. Kurona was already making excellent progress.

Meanwhile, he learned through the grapevine that the girl he'd met by the train was called Luna Lovegood. She was a Ravenclaw a year below him who had earned the nasty nickname of “Loony”. She apparently did not speak about coherent topics including but not limited to “Wrackspurts, Nargles, and Blibbering Humdingers”. She was both ignored and humiliated by her classmates daily on top of having her things mysteriously disappear. She never seemed to complain, however, from what Harry could see. She kept her nose in the magazine her father owned called “The Quibbler”. It was not exactly reputable from what he heard from other students. To Harry, though, this didn't mean much alongside the Daily Prophet which was by far the most unprofessional newspaper he'd ever read.

He had told Kurona about the comment she’d made on that first night which had put the girl on high alert. Harry had told her he would talk to her and see if he couldn’t get more of an explanation. It didn’t look like she’d mentioned anything to anyone else so it could just be a misunderstanding. So a few weeks later on a cold Wednesday afternoon, he waited outside her transfiguration class since his potions class had ended a little early. When the bell rang, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws started trickling out, all of them whispering about why he was waiting there. Harry hated attention but he tried to look confident until finally she showed up close to the end.

“Ah, Luna!” he grabbed her arm. The remaining students still there gaped at who he'd turned out to be waiting for. He didn't stay to entertain them though and dragged the girl down the hall. She didn't resist, simply eyeing him curiously as he finally ended their journey in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. Harry quickly checked each stall thoroughly before finally coming back to her.

Her clear blue eyes watched him as he fidgeted a bit. “Um...thanks for er, not resisting, I mean coming with me!” He winced. “I just had a question and uh, maybe you'd be okay with me asking?”

Several heartbeats passed before she beamed up at him. “Sure!”

Harry exhaled a worried breath. “Okay, well, I wanted to know how um...how you knew I wasn't...er, that is that I'm not...”

“Human?” she asked, interrupting his stuttering.

Harry paled, eyes going wide. “Y-yeah, that” he stuttered.

Luna shrugged. “I can tell because of the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks following you around. They never follow people who are human.” She said it so matter of factly that Harry almost face-palmed. “Not to mention my daddy wrote an article about ghouls in the Quibbler. Here, would you like a copy?” 

“Uh, sure...”

The newspaper crinkled as he unfolded it only to be met by a heart-stopping headline: Ghouls Declared Free. It was dated a month ago. 

“Is there anything else?” she asked, dispersing the long quiet that had descended.

Deflated, Harry could only shrug. “No, sorry about that. Um...do you think I could hold onto this for awhile?” he held up the magazine.

She nodded and turned to leave but he couldn't leave it there. He just had to blurt out “Wait! You won't tell anyone will you?”

Luna cocked her head for a moment before shaking it and dropping another bombshell for Harry to panic over. “No, I won't tell anyone you're a ghoul.”

Harry's eyes bugged at that. “H-how did you--?”

She blinked. “Well, you hardly eat anything for one and I've heard you throwing up after meals. You have much more strength now and...you drool a bit sometimes when you're hungry.”

Harry jumped and quickly wiped his mouth where drool had indeed been gathering. He hadn't even realized he was reacting to her scent. 

“Sorry,” he blushed, redder than a fire truck.

Luna laughed. “It's alright. I won't tell anyone, Harry but you'd better get to Charms or you'll be la~te” she sing-songed. Before Harry could say anything else, she'd left the bathroom and he was alone. He sighed, the stress of his secret strangling him even though someone knew now. He scanned the bathroom briefly, noticing for the first time a familiar faucet with a familiar snake motif. An idea hit him suddenly and he found himself sloshing forward to stare at it. He had thought Dumbledore would have destroyed the entrance to keep future students out but this was proof he could get back in...back into the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry sat beneath an oak not far from the Black lake with his friends enjoying some late fall sunshine. They were talking quietly about the year so far, especially Hermione who was complaining angrily about the failure that was Dolores Umbridge. Not only was she a bloody annoyance, she had also been throwing detentions around like candy the last few weeks. Harry was actually getting ready to serve one tonight with the great pink toad.

“I don't believe this!” Hermione huffed. “It's not just important for the upcoming war but what about our OWLs! We'll fail for sure!” she moaned.

Harry and Ron glanced bemusedly at each other. “Hermione, I think survival is probably the most important of those two,” Ron quipped.

She sent the two a baleful glare that had them cringing. “I know that!” she snapped.

“Must be that time of month,” Ron muttered.

“What did you say, Ronald?” Ron sputtered at the metaphorical fire engulfing the girl, trying and failing to calm her as she started smacking him upside the head with her potions textbook.

“Hey guys.” 

They all looked over to see Neville heading towards them across the wide lawn. Beside him walked Luna Lovegood who looked more like she was floating than walking. Hermione grimaced at the sight of her. Any interaction between her and the younger girl was completely devoid of any respect on her part for her odd mannerisms which always sent Hermione into a tiff. Harry's sudden friendship with the girl had, however, thrown every student for a loop. It was well known that the girl didn’t have any friends.

To Harry, she was simply a comforting presence. She knew about his affliction and didn't care. He couldn't have dreamed such a thing even if he tried a few months ago.

“Luna!” he waved.

She smiled back, waving back despite the wind tossing her pale blond hair into a tangled mess. They sat down, casting a few charms to keep the wet grass from soaking their uniforms. Neville and Luna offered everyone some sandwiches they'd snagged from the kitchen on the way there.

“Hey, did you guys read the Prophet this morning?” Neville asked during a lull in conversation.

The Golden trio glanced at each other and shook their heads. They had arrived late to breakfast that morning and hadn’t had the time. 

“I was too busy reading the Quibbler,” Luna quipped.

“Well,” he pulled out the newspaper from his bag, “there was an article this morning about a new magical creature called Ghouls. Apparently, there’s some big law in the muggle world that just got passed concerning them so everyone’s worried there might be a leak in anti-muggle security.”

“But I thought the Ghouls had nothing to do with magic? The muggles, not wizards, have been dealing with them for years,” Hermioned interjected.

Neville shrugged. “It doesn’t sound that simple. Here’s the article.”

Hermione read aloud. 

In August, the Ghoul Registration Act was passed allowing for the newly discovered magical creature, Ghouls, to travel internationally from their birthplace of Japan. Japan’s Mahoujinchou has worked with muggles in the past in order to develop weapons that can be used against them which has been largely successful. As of now, no spells are known to seriously affect ghouls and therefore the Wizengamot has declared Ghouls a level 8 magical creature on par with a norwegian ridgeback. As possibilities of containment are not available right now, auror’s will kill this creature on sight. If you find your life in danger from a ghoul please contact the Ministry of Magic Auror Department immediately. When questioned, Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge had this to say: “These creatures are a dangerous abomination and I promise every witch and wizard that I will make their extermination a high priority to keep you safe.”

“Jeez, so now there’s some sort of unstoppable monster to look out for? Urgh. As if You-Know-Who wasn’t bad enough.” Ron thumped down with his arms outstretched on the soft grass, yawning a little bit.

“Well, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I mean, what if they can be reasoned with? Although, if V-Voldemort actually does recruit a ghoul, all he would need is one anyways to cause a lot of damage.” Hermione drummed her fingers on her thigh.

“Tch, it doesn’t sound like the Ministry has even met a ghoul. Maybe they’re just jumping to conclusions,” Harry muttered, a little peeved at the article.

“Yeah, and Umbridge is a little biased,” Neville added. “I don’t think she likes House Elves either and they’re harmless.”

Ron scoffed. “But House Elves don’t eat people, Neville. Anyway, I wonder what it must be like in Japan, then. They’ve had to deal with this for years!” He pushed up till he was leaning on his hands, eyes wide.

“I will ask daddy to do a better article. I’m sure there’s more to ghouls than just eating people.” Luna smiled gently, gazing off into the distance.

Harry smiled back grateful for her hidden reassurance.

Eventually, the conversation turned to lighter topics and after a while, Luna said something rather odd. “I would be on my guard tonight if I were you,” she warned, humming softly under her breath as she assembled a small flower bracelet.

Everyone paused, staring oddly at her. “Why?” Harry finally asked.

She took her time to chew the crisp in her mouth before answering. “The toad will test you,” she replied solemnly. “The wrackspurts said so while I was drinking my lavender rose tea this morning. Startled, Harry realized she was alluding to his detention tonight. After all, nearly everyone called Umbridge a toad. The resemblance was uncanny though she wore all pink instead of green. As for his detention, he’d lost control of his temper the other day in Defence trying to prove to everyone that Voldemort really was back but typically no one listened. Umbridge was determined to stamp that knowledge out of existence so everyone could pretend everything was sunshine and rainbows as long as the Ministry was in charge.

While this naturally confused everyone Hermione was irritated enough to actually say something.

“Luna, this has got to stop,” she snapped in her bossy 'I-am-right-thou-art-not' voice. Luna's luminous blue eyes simply blinked.

“What?”

“I'm sure someone is responsible for encouraging your story making and your tall tales but enough is enough. Whatever thumdingers and backspurts are, they don't exist!”

Surprisingly, Luna didn't get angry. She simply frowned. “How do you know?”

“Huh?”

“How do you know they don't exist?” she asked.

Hermione stared at her disbelieving. “And what proof is there that they do?”

Luna's cheeks started to flush and puff up a little while her eyebrows dipped. It would've made a cute picture if not for the situation. “Do you believe the sun doesn't exist when it isn't shining in the sky? What about the earth being round instead of flat?” she drawled. Hermione reddened but kept her mouth shut. Finally she sniffed. “I need no other proof than that I can see them.”

She turned to Harry then, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder briefly. “Be careful,” she entreated with an anxious frown. With that she stood, brushing grass off her pleated skirt before heading inside the castle. Clouds were moving in now obscuring the sun along with the cheerful mood. Dread pooled in Harry's stomach as he fended off his friend's confused questions and wondered what on earth Luna meant by that.

Umbridge's detention was scheduled for eight and Harry found himself running pell-mell through the halls just to make it in time. Skidding to a stop and taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door of Umbridge's office.

“Come in,” her throaty voice called.

Upon entering, Harry was visibly disgusted to find a room that looked like a grandma had thrown up over everything. The walls were a bright pink decorated with numerous cat plates and figurines along with lace doilies on every available surface. It seemed far closer to a true depiction of hell than any artist had been able to capture.

“Come in Mr. Potter,” the toady woman simpered, gesturing for him to sit.

Harry reluctantly sat at the desk she pointed to which just so happened to be at the front of the room. She placed some sheaves of parchment and a black quill which curiously had red designs swirling along the pinion.

“You will be writing lines Mr. Potter: 'I shall not tell lies'.” She pointed at the blackboard where she'd written said line for him to follow. He nodded glumly and fished his ink out of his bag but was abruptly told not to.

“But--”

“You won't be needing ink for this assignment Mr. Potter,” she smirked at this like she was thinking about a really nasty joke at his expense.

Harry frowned confused and turned to the paper, slowly writing the short phrase but stopped as soon as he felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. He stared blankly at the words carved into his skin that were slowly disappearing once he'd stopped writing. His heart beat fast as he realized what Luna had meant at last.

Even if it was his own blood, his heart started to race and he could feel his eye changing beneath the glamour. Bloodlust choked him, the quill almost snapping from the force of his grip. His teeth sharp and ready to tear into flesh ground loudly together. Sheer will alone kept him from jumping her right then and there.

“Something wrong Mr. Potter?” she purred, not unlike her painted cats, full of saccharine venom.  
Harry took several deep breaths but began to write the best he could. A headache drowned her voice, blood pounding in his ears. Time passed excruciatingly slow as every bit of willpower he possessed kept the fat pink toad at the front of the room alive. 

“Alright, times up Mr. Potter.” She took his hand none too gently, probing the cuts on his hand. “Hmm, it doesn't appear to have sunk in enough. I think another detention is in order, don't you agree?” Her smile was truly disturbing but Harry kept his face down just in case his eye revealed itself through the glamour.

His mind blanked and before he knew it he was standing outside the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. He hesitated to go in, however, due to how hungry writing lines had made him. He thought about searching out Kurona but he had no idea how to get into the Slytherin Common Room. Luckily, he always kept his invisibility cloak in his bag so he simply shook it out and pulled it on before making his way to the statue of the one eyed witch that led to Hogsmeade. 

The tunnel was dead silent and dark as a grave but Harry determinedly climbed up into Honeydukes through the trap door behind the counter. Exiting through the front door, he turned right, heading up the cobblestone street to the fountain at the center of town. He took a deep breath and began to search for anyone that wouldn't be missed. Outside of the Hogs Head, he finally spotted a drunk old man stumbling off into the night alone. He was mumbling softly to himself deaf to his stalker. A soft, sloppy hum of “It's a wonderful world” filled the empty night. The irony didn't escape Harry, almost wanting to spare the guy despite his hunger. Ah well, c'est la vie.

They eventually arrived at the edge of a deserted alley where the drunk decided to rest near some trash bins, the bottle in his hand rolling off with a 'clink' into the dark. Grumbling, the drunk fumbled for it but soon found his short and pitiful life ended with a 'thunk', his head sliding clean off his shoulders before he could even scream. Harry didn't waste any time though his disgust was strong. This man was not clean in the slightest and the odd aftertaste of alcohol in the blood he drank made him want to gag. The flesh was better in that it at least had a savory taste like a roast or a stew, a little on the gamey side though. Thirty minutes later and there was nothing left but a few bones and some blood spatters. Harry sat down, licking his palms and fingers clean as his stomach began to gradually digest his new meal. Possibly the quickest and cleanest kill he'd made yet.

He released a satisfied huff and just lay there for a few minutes, ignoring the need to run and hide, solid cold stone against his back. So full… According to Kurona, his appetite was big and compared more to a natural born ghoul than a half ghoul. If he wanted to stave off hunger for a month he needed a whole human to tide him over whereas she was content with about a quarter to a half. Maybe my magic requires more energy, he wondered. But wouldn’t Kurona eat more then too? 

Harry licked the blood from his lips. With a small knife he scratched a tiny cross in a circle on one of the pavestones. Not the best thing for a memorial but something to at least mark and honor where this man’s life had ended. This was the new normal now. Deep down, he screamed obscenities at himself, insults, and past faults. There was nothing he could do to atone for this but he would do what he could with what he had for his continued existence. 

At long last, Harry stood and dusted his pants off. The streetlamps glowed gently against the starry sky while Harry headed off back to Honeydukes. He clutched his cloak closer around him as he passed the Three Broomsticks, light from the open doors   
spilling out into the street. He wasn't surprised to hear the low murmurs of late night patrons but stopped when he heard the distinct voices of Severus Snape and Remus Lupin. He frowned, hesitating briefly before quickly slipping into the merry tavern.

Harry had never been in the Three Broomsticks at night so there had never been need for the numerous candles and the softly glowing fairy lights in every corner. It kept it warm and inviting even with the sun below the horizon. He spotted Snape and Remus near the back, surprising him that he could hear them even from so far away. 

“--acting odd. Haven't you noticed Remus?”

Remus frowned. “He's had a lot on his plate this year with the ministry not believing you-know-who is back. I can only imagine how alone he's feeling right now.”

Snape scoffed. “I may not like him Remus but I would never intentionally endanger him. At every meal, he barely eats, I've spotted him more than once throwing up in the abandoned bathroom on the second floor, and he...” He paused, eyes glinting from the candle light. “You'll think I'm crazy but his aura has changed. More like a dark creature or a powerful wizard, there is a warning in his presence, something that screams at me to be on my guard.” He shuddered lightly.

Remus looked away, taking a sip of his ale in the meantime. It was true that Harry's aura had changed but Remus hadn't paid it much attention over the summer, too worried about the alliance with the werewolves Albus was pushing for. 

“Even worse,” Snape continued, “is that Miss Kanou has a very similar aura. I find it very peculiar she should show up just after Mr. Potter starts having a strange shift in behavior.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, I only have my suspicions so there's nothing I can really do. I only ask you to keep an open mind, and don't tell any of this to Black.”

Remus grimaced. “You know I won't Severus.” He gulped down the rest of his drink and stood up, placing a few coins on the rough table top. “I need to get going.”

Said man snorted. “Good night to you too wolf.” Harry Potter gaped at the friendly exchange, trying and failing to ignore the worry welling up in him from his professor’s keen observations. He would have to lay low for as long as he could and he would need to warn Kurona.


	6. His Own Funeral

The next day, Harry left Transfiguration with his friends around two o'clock only to run into a figuratively steaming Kurona. He gulped, a nasty feeling settling in his gut.

“Harry, can I talk to you for a second?”

“Uh…,” He had a bad feeling about this. He was so in trouble wasn’t he?

“Come on” she snapped, grabbing his wrist.

“I'll see you guys in the common room,” he hastily told Ron and Hermione who were left sputtering as Kurona pretty much hauled him away.

They ended up at the Quidditch field. The sky was beautifully clear that day with long puffy clouds studding the blue dome. A warm breeze, uncharacteristic for October, blew through the Quidditch hoops that appeared like golden rings with the sun behind them. They finally stopped, closer to the Lake than the Quidditch pitch.

Kurona turned on him as soon as she checked that they were alone. “Do you know how to cast a privacy charm?” she urged. Harry nodded, a shimmering blue dome forming then fading out.

“Explain,” she demanded.

“Wha--?”

“You have the scent of a fresh kill all over you. What did you do?” Her purple eyes flashed, her one ghoul eye glowing red instead.

Harry averted his eyes, rubbing his arm nervously. “I had a detention with Umbridge last night and she used some kinda weird quill. It used my blood instead of ink and I almost couldn't control myself. I almost ate her!” he emphasized with a plea. “I managed to wait till the end and found some homeless guy down in the village to eat instead. I-I swear...nee-san.”

Her posture relaxed slightly and a tiny smile tugged at her lips from the familiarity. She hugged him gently. “I'm not really mad at you Harry-kun. You know that right? I just worry about you. The humans might catch on if we're not careful.”

Harry inhaled her scent deeply before nodding. “I know but it was either eat Umbridge who would attract a lot more attention or someone no one will miss right away.” Then as a side note, he added thoughtfully, “Though I wouldn't mind eating her eventually.” Despite her horrid personality, she was deliciously fat and smelled a lot like a shepherds pie paired with blood pudding.

“Yes...you made the right decision.” She searched his face, smiling. “I'm very proud of you.”

Harry grinned a little at that but then remembered what he'd overheard last night. He told Kurona about it who scowled. 

“Unfortunately, we can't appear completely normal. We will just have to be more careful. Next time we should hunt together.” 

Harry nodded, a deep frown etched on his face. “Will you be needing to hunt soon?”

Kurona shrugged. “I can go a little longer than you so I probably won’t need to till next month. Keep an eye out in the meantime. Maybe there’s a student or two we can pick off.” The grin that cracked her beautiful face was chilling but Harry simply grinned back unfazed. When around Kurona, his hunger was more important than his sympathy to the human race.

They began to walk back to the castle side by side. The weather was blustery today, the clouds sweeping and curling across the bright blue sky. Tomorrow was Halloween and Harry was once again prepared for the painful reminder of the anniversary of his parent’s death. He sighed morosely.

Kurona glanced at him, curious about the melancholy expression on his face. “Everything okay?”

Harry frowned. “I’m not used to explaining it,” he began. “Most everyone already knows my story in this world.” He paused briefly. “My parents were murdered on Halloween,” he muttered.

Kurona looked taken aback. “Oh, how old were you when they died?”

“One.”

“Well...If it helps I hardly remember my parents either. They were killed by ghouls when I was really young.”

“Oh, I’m sorry” Harry offered awkwardly, not used to offering his sympathies to another. For the most part everyone in his life had relatively happy lives. Ron’s jealousy over others wealth notwithstanding. 

Kurona snorted, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. “Don’t worry yourself Harry. I have you now after all.” She hugged him tightly around his shoulders and ruffled his hair with her other hand.

Harry laughed, ducking his head with a blush. “Thank you,” he said sincerely, his heart pulsing warmly.

Halloween came and went and for once Harry had a lot of fun. He didn’t eat much of the candy but he did enjoy the blood pops that were offered. They weren’t completely unpalatable, a little bit like coffee in that way. He amassed a huge collection in his pockets by the end of the night. 

Soon, a week passed and there was finally a mention of the drunkard’s death in the Prophet. Perhaps it was more difficult to determine his identity without any remains to examine? Or maybe they just hadn’t found him until now. There were murmurs all throughout the Great Hall about the article. A murder so close to the school was highly unusual and somewhat terrifying.

“Well Harry?”

Harry blinked, looking up at Hermione who was staring intently at him from across the table. She had decided to put her hair up this morning so it formed an odd frizzy halo around her head. Ron was still scarfing down breakfast and his English was still unintelligible. 

“What?” He asked warily, poking a bit at his eggs which smelled like scrambled turds. His eyebrow twitched as he tasted one. Tasted exactly like they smelled. 

She huffed. “I asked you if you’d given any more thought to the defense club? At this rate no one is going to pass the OWLS” she stressed, eyebrows dipped low over her honey brown eyes.

This again? “And I’ve already given you my answer: a thousand times no!” He stood, anger coursing hot through his limbs. He hated how no one ever seemed to listen to him. If he said no he meant no. What part of that sounded like ‘yes’!? “Why don’t you ask someone else if it’s so important?”

“Because you’re the best in our year; because you’ve mastered spells not even seventh years have learned; and you’ve faced off against You-Know-Who time and time again. You’re perfect for it,” she pleaded.

While she had a good point, fighting tended to up his bloodlust and if he was going to avoid killing the entire student body he figured he’d better stay away from those things. He sighed, tired of the ongoing argument. “Whatever. I’ll see you guys in class. I think I forgot my potions book in the dorm anyways” he mumbled, making up a pathetic excuse just to get away.

“W-wait. Harry, I won’t talk about it anymore. At least eat your breakfast! You’ve hardly eaten anything. Ugh, Ron!” she pleaded, trying to get the redhead to help her. Ron looked at her bewildered but finally swallowed his mouthful and tried to call out to Harry, but he was already opening the door to the Great Hall and slipping out. 

Two long weeks passed in which Dolores Umbridge made it her personal mission to become the most hated professor in Hogwarts’ history. Appointed High Inquisitor by the Ministry, the students were even more beaten down by her unfair and frustrating rules. He had been to several more detentions each worse than the last, though his healing ability at least healed the wounds to Umbridge’s frustration. And as a side effect, he got better and better at controlling his blood lust. 

Meanwhile, he was hounded by Hermione during the day and plagued by nightmares at night. All of them devolving into a strange door at the end of a creepy hallway. He didn’t tell his friends about it because he honestly didn’t know what there was to say about it. Hermione usually pushed it straight out of his head though as soon as morning arrived as she continued to pester him. It was making things unbearably tense between him and his friends. 

His free period had finally arrived and Harry had agreed to meet Kurona for some light sparring. She’d been having him running early in the mornings and taught him stretches to help his mobility. His stamina and flexibility had already increased significantly since he’d become a ghoul but they were unrefined. 

“Hey, sorry, were you waiting long?”

“No. I just got here like a second before you. So...what are we doing in this out of order bathroom?” She gave him a long side glance, a devious grin on her face.

“N-nothing weird!” Harry flushed, waving his arms around. “This is just where the Chamber of Secrets is located.” 

“Hai, hai” she giggled. 

He sighed, hanging his head low as he approached the middle sink. The snake figure was still there and he focused hard for a minute before whispering “open”. He couldn’t make out the snake sounds he must have said since it sounded like clear English to him but he could see the intrigued look in Kurona’s eyes reflected in the mirror.

Slowly, the sink sank into the ground revealing the long tunnel into the bowels of the castle.

“Eew, are you serious? That looks disgusting.”

Harry sighed. “Yeah, it would be nice if they were stairs but…” He froze as a loud grinding sound reverberated through the floor and the slide became stairs. “Seriously?” he groaned. 

“Yatta! Let’s go, Harry.” As they descended the stairs, Harry focused and spoke “close” to the open hole behind them which closed with a grumble.

It took them a while to reach the bottom but soon they were in the huge chamber housing Slytherin’s statue. 

“So that is the founder of my House,” Kurona muttered, peering up at the monolithic structure. “He’s not a very attractive guy, is he?” 

Harry shrugged. He was standing over by the basilisk corpse he’d killed years ago. “How strange. I thought they would have cleaned this up after I rescued Ginny.” He kicked an exposed stretch of bleached skull.

“Wait a minute, is this the basilisk you told me you killed?” she exclaimed, running over to check. The skin had decomposed greatly since he’d last seen it. Some areas were just bone while others were a mass of sagging flesh. The smell was super unappealing. He discreetly cast a scent dampening charm as Kurona oohed and awed over the corpse.

“Wow, this is amazing! I had no idea you were already such a great fighter! Looks like we’ll have to work even harder!” An evil grin appeared. “Well, let’s get started.” She clapped her hands.

They started with a light warm up (after cleaning up the floor a little of course) and some laps. These used to really wear him out but now he could run at a steady pace for at least a half hour. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and got ready to fight. His kagune appeared as easy as breathing, his eye turning crimson on black with his glamour dispelled. Taking a deep breath, he charged as fast as he could and aimed for Kurona’s legs, attempting to swipe them out from underneath her. She anticipated this, however, and jumped high to avoid him then swung her kagune down to strike his back.

He twisted and jumped away as she landed right where he’d just been standing. He panted, steeling himself, before fainting to the right, then lashing out on the left. She raised her kagune just in time to block his strike, then pushed him back knocking him off balance. He scrambled to escape but couldn’t quite avoid the attack and felt his side tear. Blood soaked his shirt and oozed between his fingers as he applied pressure with his hand. 

Kurona didn’t hesitate to take advantage, however, and lashed out with her kagune, forcing him to shield himself the best he could. He grit his teeth. He needed to find a way to take her by surprise. Pulling out his wand, he cast a stupefy then dove beneath the red light to attack her from underneath. Surprised, she dodged the spell but Harry managed to inflict a nasty gash across her thigh. Speaking of wounds, he had already begun to heal. 

He cast expelliarmus this time but she was aware of his strategy now and didn’t bother dodging since spells wouldn’t affect them anyways. She raised her kagune and snagged Harry’s arm, trapping it and then grabbing the other, immobilizing him. 

Harry wasn’t giving up yet though, slicing through Kurona’s kagune with his own and effectively releasing him. He landed in a crouch and immediately sped forward. He ducked under her punch but was hit in the stomach with a solid kick. 

He skidded to a stop, curling around his stomach. He tried to stand back up but Kurona pushed him down, her kagune coming to hover above his throat threateningly. 

She panted a little bit. “You’re getting better, little brother.” She backed off, her kagune pulling in close to her body like folded wings. Harry grabbed the hand she extended to help him up.

“Thanks. Nowhere near as good as you though.”

She laughed. “I have a lot of years on you, Harry. Even before I was a ghoul. Trust me, you did well. You’ve come a long way.”

Harry blushed. He definitely wasn’t used to praise. 

“Well, we should get going. I think the free period is almost over.”

“Oh man, it’s Transfiguration next. McGonnagal will kill me if I’m late.”

“Well we can’t have that. Come on! I’ll race ya!” They hurried up the stairs, Harry sealing the tunnel behind them with a simple command “close”. They split up outside the bathroom going opposite directions for class. A silent spectator had seen them leave, however, from a small hidden passageway across from the bathroom. They poked their head out, silvery blond hair sweeping across narrow gray eyes. A nasty smirk lit his pale face.

The next day as Harry headed to Charms in the afternoon, a spell hit his bag ripping the bottom of it wide open. His ink bottles smashed all over his parchment and books, creating a terrible mess that would definitely make him late to class. Angrily, he glanced around to find the perpetrator but could find no one that looked particularly guilty. Several students laughed, though, enjoying the mean trick especially as he was number one on the hate list this year. Seamus and Dean still wouldn’t talk to him. 

Kneeling down, he started to scoop everything into his arms, the broken ink bottles he just left on the stone floor, splattered everywhere. A few of his books fell from his arms despite his best efforts to hold them all until all of a sudden, Neville was there picking them up for him. 

“Hey, I saw you were having some trouble,” Neville smiled, abashed. 

“Thanks, Nev.” He sighed tiredly and started walking to class. “This year has been kinda difficult so far.”

Neville hummed sympathetically. “Yeah, I can imagine. Everyone’s got it out for you, huh?”

Harry shrugged but this caused his books to shift so he had to quickly readjust his grip. “Woah!”

Neville laughed, half lunging to help. “Careful!”

“So how have things been with you?” Harry asked.

Neville shrugged. “Same old, same old. I was hanging out with Seamus and Dean but then they said all those nasty things about you so I started just doing my own thing. Luna is pretty fun to hang out with sometimes. And I know some people in Hufflepuff.”

“That’s great, Neville. I’m glad you’re branching out.” 

“Oh, here we are.” They walked into Charms and found a desk to sit at. Ron and Hermione were surprisingly not there yet and Harry wondered where they--

Just then, the aforementioned duo sped in before he could even finish the thought. They were a bit red in the face and out of breath from running. He turned and waved to them and they waved back, relieved grins on their faces. 

When Charms was over, they all met outside the classroom to head outside before dinner but lightning flashed as they stood in the main entrance gaping up at the sky which started pouring buckets.

“Well, I guess that’s not gonna happen,” Ron sighed. “Now what?”

Harry’s nose twitched. Wrinkling his nose at the pungent odor of potions fumes and charred wood smoke, he turned to see exactly who he thought was approaching them: Professor Snape. Grimacing, he nudged Ron to get his attention. Ron looked equally thrilled to see their most hated professor.

“And why are you all just loitering in the doorway, hmm? Looking for trouble?” he smirked, dark eyes colder than ice.

His gaze lingered on Harry and he knew it wasn’t because of hate this time. The potions professor was suspicious of his true nature. “Well? Get going or I’ll be forced to take points,” he sneered.

The Gryffindors didn’t think twice before hurrying towards the Great Hall. They could hang out there until dinner started which wasn’t far off anyways. Harry glanced back, however, and felt his blood freeze at Snape’s intense gaze. His green eyes widened, fearful at first then hardening into emeralds. He wouldn’t let Snape get to him. He was stronger than him anyways. In a real fight, the man would lose for sure. Harry held his gaze for a moment longer before cooly striding away after his friends, head held high.

Snape, however, did not move from his frozen stance in the middle of the Grand Entrance. Sweat was beading along his forehead and his breath had become labored. For a brief moment, he could have sworn Potter’s eye appeared red but it must have been a trick of the light. A purely evil feeling passed through him like a wave sending a chill down his spine. Something was horribly wrong with Potter. He didn’t know what yet but he would find out eventually.

Halfway through November found Draco Malfoy heading towards his common room grumbling to himself after a long detention with Professor McGonnagall cleaning the trophies on the fourth floor. He’d been caught calling Granger a mudblood again. In hindsight he should probably just stop using the term so he could just stay out of detention for once. 

Draco sighed, his shoulders slumping. He lived a privileged life, rarely denied anything from his parents, and had a bit of an obsession with Potter because of the stories he was told as a kid but sometimes, he wondered about his family’s teachings. He upheld them because he knew nothing else but lately, things were looking a bit different. What was the point of fighting over blood purity anyways? Granger was a mudblood and still came out on top in every class while he never even had a chance. 

Kurona had also been an interesting addition to Slytherin since she’d arrived. He wouldn’t call themselves friends but he liked to think that she did. Who was he kidding! Kurona was gorgeous! The most beautiful angel to have ever studied at Hogwarts. She was kind and sensitive unlike the other girls in Slytherin. Little sparkles appeared in his slate gray eyes from his daydreaming. The only problem was that Potter liked to hang around her like some lovesick dog.

A soft noise further away caught his attention. He ducked into a hidden alcove to hide. Who?

A young boy with unkempt dark hair appeared looking rather suspicious, glancing over his shoulder again and again. Potter? What was he doing here? A minute later, to his neverending surprise, Kurona appeared from the opposite direction. Draco scowled as they hugged, seemingly more than comfortable together. Were they dating? He had seen them together a few weeks ago as well.

“Dissendium.”

Draco gaped. There was a loud scraping sound and the hump of the one-eyed witch statue behind them opened onto a dark tunnel.

On silent feet he approached the statue after they disappeared down the slide into the witch’s hump. He waited a few minutes, jumping at every little noise down the corridor hoping that no teachers were patrolling the area. After what he figured would be a good head start, he spoke the password and climbed in with a disgusted sneer. He was so getting these robes charm cleaned.

It was a long walk through the dark and musty tunnel. Kurona glanced around curiously as they walked, noticing faint hints of previous travelers though they were long gone. There were initials carved into pock marked limestone near a stack of crates beside the entrance. Crushed parchment and old ink stains scattered the little nook.

JP  
SB  
RL  
PP

Even with the air being so foul Kurona noticed an odd scent wafting towards them from behind. 

“Looks like we have a stalker,” Kurona murmured, red ghoul eye reflecting Harry’s own as they peered into the gloom behind them. They couldn’t spot the other but they could certainly smell him. It was a familiar one to both of them for different reasons. They exchanged puzzled looks. “Is that Malfoy?” Harry said, irritated that the Slytherin was always causing trouble for him in some way or other.

Kurona simply smirked, catching Harry’s eye. “Why don’t we give him a little...surprise,” she grinned sharply, fangs showing. Harry snickered, nodding with an eager glint in his one emerald, and one red, eyes.

About an hour later they emerged through a trapdoor into the cellar of a shop, the air becoming much less dank as the stone walls became wood and various merchandise were crammed into every corner. Kurona snagged a Blood Pop and eagerly popped it into her mouth. It was somewhat palatable but had an odd aftertaste. After sucking on it awhile she spat it out with a grimace. “Why do you love these so much?” Kurona whispered, incredulous.

“Over here,” Harry motioned, urging her to follow him out into the streets of Hogsmeade. The night was not completely silent as they could hear loud laughter from the pub towards the center of town and there were still some night stragglers heading home from said pub. The soft shuffling of feet behind them caught their ears. Time to set the trap.

They headed to the right until they reached the skinny maw of a short alley. It dead-ended into a circle of trash bins. Cloaked in shadows they waited for their prey to wander into their web.

Malfoy peered into the alley he had seen the two disappear down hesitant to actually follow. He gulped and licked his lips briefly as he raised his wand higher, the light illuminating a few feet further. 

“Come out! I know you’re there.” He edged further into the alley, goose flesh prickling his arms and the back of his neck. A shiver raced up his spine as terror suddenly gripped him. It was like he could feel death nearby. “Y-yeah” his teeth chattered. “Y-You guys are in so much trouble. You’ll be lucky if you don’t get exp--” His voice wobbled as he found himself unable to tread any further he was shaking so hard. Something cold slid across his waist making him shriek. Twin red lamps appeared in the darkness ahead and he screamed just as something sliced through the flesh of his leg. 

He fell to the ground crying and hugging his leg tightly, warm blood spilling through his fingers. 

“Aw, what a sweet baby,” the saccharine, doll-like voice of Kurona drifted through his consciousness. The clouds parted, the light of the moon bringing an ethereal illumination to the hidden occupants of the darkness.

“K-k-kurona?” Malfoy stuttered, his teeth chattering as a cold terror descended over him. He was more startled, however, to see her companion. Potter stood nearby, a blank look on his face. Both of them sported several odd appendages rising behind them like giant claws or tentacles. They weaved slightly in the air like snakes waiting for the command of a snake charmer.

He flinched at her touch, the back of her hand petting his sweaty cheek. “What do you think, Harry-kun? Will this one taste good?” The growl Potter emitted was more feral than any wild magical creature Malfoy had ever encountered.

In a blind panic, Malfoy realized he was really about to die. He didn’t understand the how or why but he saw no mercy in the actions of his fellow students. 

“P-please!” he forced through his clacking teeth. “Please, don’t kill me! I can be helpful to you. Whatever you need, I have connections. I can--” He howled as the jagged disappearance of his middle and index fingers on his right hand appeared clear in the moonlight. He whimpered, curling into a tight ball and hoping to Merlin he made it out of this alive.

“Hmm, well Harry?”

Harry sighed, his stomach rumbling hungrily. “Well, it’s true, we could use a cover. Snape is getting to be a nuisance. He’s been following me alot lately.” He looked torn on whether he wanted to spare or finally end Malfoy once and for all. He was after all the biggest jerk Hogwarts had ever seen and had caused more trouble for him and his friends than anyone else. Plus he smelled heavenly. He gnawed on one of the pale fingers he’d swiped from his rival, white bone beginning to show as he stripped the blood speckled flesh.

Malfoy spotted this and immediately lost his lunch. Vomit spewed onto the stone, stomach acid burning the two ghoul’s sensitive noses. His crying heightened in volume making Harry slightly nervous as he pulled out his wand to cast a silencing charm. It was too late, however, as they both heard voices quickly approaching, shouting to others to help them find the source of human anguish lying before the two ghouls. They glanced quickly at each other, coming to a silent decision as Harry picked up Malfoy with his kagune and rapidly ascended the sheer sides of the alley to the rooftop, Kurona following silently behind. 

Everything was a blur after that for Draco who faded in and out of consciousness as he was carried unwillingly to the edge of Hogsmeade where Harry cast a ward and heavy silencing charms. He laid Malfoy out and cast a simple healing spell for the gash in his thigh. It wasn’t deep as it had only been meant to incapacitate the other boy. The fingers, on the other hand (no pun intended), would need to be regrown by an experienced Medi witch.

The pain dulled enough after that he could actually deal with his tormentors. Beneath the light of the moon they sat on the rooftop edge looking for all the world completely relaxed and unbothered by his suffering. Potter had fucking ate his fingers for Merlin’s sake! What kind of alternate reality had he landed in?

“A cover, huh?” Kurona tapped her chin in thought. She brushed some loose strands of black hair back behind her shoulder.

“It would make sense right? Like he said, he has connections and with Snape so suspicious of us… Plus, he’s in the same house as you and can easily cover for you if something happens. He might even be able to help us find a good meal.” Harry smirked, his crimson eye connecting with Malfoy’s blue gray. The Slytherin looked like he had pissed his pants which by the smell...Harry grimaced. Looks like he really had. Kurona’s nose wrinkled as well, disgusted.

“Y-you, what are you?” Draco stuttered, finally managing to find his voice. He leaned heavily on his left arm so he wasn’t completely flat and unprotected. 

Kurona snickered, leaning down with her hands braced against her thighs. “What a lucky boy to have never met a ghoul before,” she cooed.

Malfoy gaped. “Those are the new level 8 dark creatures from Japan, right? My father mentioned them…”

Harry smirked lazily, leaning back into empty air with his hands on the lip of the edge, kagune waving behind him with the wind. “Nee-san is actually from Japan so she wouldn’t be here without the GRA but me on the other hand...”

“True, true. Well, Malfoy dear, as for what we want we…,” she cocked her head to the side, the moon alighting one side leaving the other in shadow, “...would like to eat you.”

If it was possible, Draco paled even further at that.

She jerked upright and clapped her hands. “But I don’t think that would be a good idea. You said it yourself: you can be a great help to us. So, would you like to find our next meal Harry dear?” Harry yawned and stood up to stretch, his thin body and kagune elongating. It was late after all.

“Sure. I’ll check near the pub. That’s where I found the last one.” With that he jumped off the side of the building leaving the two Slytherins alone for now. The young Japanese girl, however, hardly looked interested in speaking with her guest which left Draco to his thoughts. 

He carefully brought his wand up, noticing Kurona’s intense stare now in his direction. Nervously, he cast a few cleaning and freshening charms which Kurona silently approved of. The smell had been irritating her nose. “C-can I ask you h-how the fuck Potter is in on this? Last I checked he didn’t e-eat people.” He shuddered.

Kurona cocked her head as though hearing a distant sound but Draco heard nothing. “Harry-kun was in Japan over the summer on a trip with his relatives when he was in a nearly fatal accident. He only survived due to a surgery performed by my father which turned him into a ghoul.”

Draco gaped. “Shit, how the fuck is that even possible?”

Kurona chuckled. “It’s actually easier than you might think although for obvious reasons it’s not well known. My father pioneered the research and found that transferring a kakuhou, which is the name of a specialized ghoul organ, into a human gradually takes over their body on the cellular level turning them into a ghoul.”

Draco’s mind went into overdrive. It was essentially the equivalent of a werewolf bite except werewolves didn’t actively hunt down humans to eat them unless their mind was being influenced by the moon once a month. An awkward silence ensued as Draco digested this new information. A few minutes passed by, then ten, and soon Kurona was beginning to pace back and forth along the roof edge. 

“So what exactly do you--”

Before he could say anymore she turned and lashed out one tentacle to wrap around his neck. Her right eye glowed red. “You will not move from here until I return or you will not like the consequences,” she growled, the tentacle tightening and cutting off his air for far too long before loosening enough so he could gasp in air.

“G-got it.” He rasped, clutching his rapidly bruising neck. She scoffed, sneering at his weakness before vanishing into the night.

Draco coughed, his throat burning, and meanwhile hoping Kurona never came back.

Harry was not anticipating any difficulty finding another meal and yet here he was. He appeared normal now, his kagune hidden away so as to not frighten his prey.

He walked casually down the empty street, the noise from The Three Broomsticks getting louder. Nothing unusual. He kept an eye on the brightly lit entrance from around the corner and eventually a drunk came stumbling out, a chorus of raucous cat calls and gruff shouting following him. Harry sniffed the air. The scent of hearty chicken noodle soup and fresh bread met his nose. Yum.

Harry began to follow the man, casually casting a spell to cover his scent and glamor his face just in case. He failed, however, to notice another scent not far behind him. Two men left the pub not long after the drunk and noticed he was being stalked. So intent on his meal, Harry didn’t notice right away. 

He realized his chance as the drunk stumbled and fell beside an alley. He paused, saliva pooling in anticipation before becoming a blur as he pounced. One of his kagune had already sliced off the left leg of the man when he sensed danger approaching; though he barely dodged the vivid red spell which landed where he’d just been. He looked down the street at the source, his strong eyes clearly identifying Remus and Snape. 

Fuck! I’m so fucked. 

Fortunately, the two human’s eyes were not nearly as good as his and didn’t recognize him due to his glamour. He attempted to run but this time the spell connected and though it hurt a little it didn’t have much of an effect. He blinked. He hadn’t even seen the color of the spell so he had no idea what he’d been hit with. Probably not a horribly dangerous one if he only felt a light tingle down his arm.

Wary though, he backed off, making sure to keep the two gaping men in sight.

“Remus, check on Mundungus. Quickly!” Snape ordered. The man now named Mundungus was still collapsed on the ground howling and shrieking in agony though soon quieted to whimpers as Remus handed him a tiny vial of pain reliever potion. 

“Show yourself ghoul” Snape snarled, brandishing his wand. Staying quiet to not betray his voice, Harry raised his kagune and crouched preparing to fight. Professor Snape attacked first, spell after spell flew at him but Kurona was much faster when they sparred so it wasn’t too difficult to dodge. He might have been able to outlast the professor if Remus hadn’t jumped in next.

Harry bit his lip, trying to dodge the best he could, using his kagune to block spells as they seemed strangely spell proof. He was reminded of that nightmare he had months ago and had new versions of since. This couldn’t last forever. He needed to get away without killing them.

Within a split second, Harry dove down underneath Snape’s spell trajectory and swiped the man’s legs out from under him before pinning his arm down with one tentacle going straight through each hand. The resulting scream excited Harry’s blood lust but he pushed it down.

“Stop!” he snarled lowly, hoping to disguise his voice.

Remus paused, hesitating as he noticed the position Snape was in. 

“Let me leave and I won’t kill him.”

“No!” Snape yelled, struggling though both his arms were now pinned through the hand, crucified on the ground. “Don’t listen, Remus. He’ll kill us.”

“Shut up!” Harry yelled. “I will leave quietly. I swear.”

Remus ground his teeth, amber eyes glinting in the lamp light. “You are a ghoul right? Why are you here? Are you with Voldemort?”

Harry scoffed. “Of course not. I’m just trying to survive here. Easy meal and all that.” His throat was starting to hurt from speaking at such a low timbre.

A long few seconds passed before Remus slowly nodded. “Fine. Get out and don’t come back here. Next time we’ll be more prepared.”

Harry laughed, honestly amused. “Based on your performance I highly doubt you can beat me. Till next time.” He carefully retracted his kagune, backing away down the street in order to keep the two men in his sights before turning and running as soon as he was out of attack range. Remus immediately rushed to help Snape up as soon as he could.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Snape grimaced. “Yes, but I’m afraid he’s right.”

“What?”

“There’s no way we could have beaten him. He wasn’t even trying really.” He hissed as he carefully swallowed a potion to heal his hands, the jagged holes slowly stitching closed. As a spy he always had potions like these on hand as he never knew when the Dark Lord would decide to summon him.

“Anyways, let’s get Mundungus to Madame Pomfrey. Hopefully, it’s not too late to reattach his leg.” He waved his wand, Mundungus rising to float behind him while Remus gathered the leg the same way. Remus, however, couldn’t shake the thought that there was something familiar about the ghoul. The memory eluded him though and he soon had to let it go.

As Harry hurried away he ran into Kurona who was running furiously towards him.

“Are you okay?” she cried, heart pounding as she smelled human blood but none near his mouth meaning he hadn’t had a chance to eat but rather gotten into a fight. She engulfed him in a tight hug helping to steady and slow Harry’s heart with her calming scent and gentle heat.

“Yeah, I just ran into some trouble. Snape and Remus saw me go after our meal. I wasn’t really in any danger but now I’m hungrier than ever!” he groaned. “And he smelled so good too,” he mumbled disappointed. 

Kurona sighed. Perhaps tonight was just not their night. Winter break was a month away so they would need to eat before they left for Japan. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. Let’s head back to the castle for now.” Harry nodded. It was nearing 2 AM by then so they certainly wouldn’t be feeling full and rested tomorrow morning. What a bummer.

They stopped to pick up Malfoy first who startled badly when they appeared almost silently beside him.

“Shit!” he gasped, clutching his heart hard.

Harry rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Come on Malfoy. We’re going back to Hogwarts.”

Draco breathed a deep sigh of relief as he got to his feet. “Oh thank Merlin. This has officially been the worst night ever.”

Harry glared at him infuriated, especially with his empty stomach. He turned on the blond Slytherin, fangs gleaming as he snarled. “I wouldn’t complain too much, Malfoy. I’m still hungry and wouldn’t mind a little Slytherin steak.” The bloody red of his kakugan activated, seriously freaking said boy out.

“R-right. No more complaining. Got it.” He never ever in a million years would have thought he’d be terrified of the goody two shoes golden boy. 

Upon returning to the castle they split ways though now Draco was left alone with Kurona which before tonight would have been his dream come true but now was the ultimate nightmare. They sneaked back to the dungeons, Kurona’s great sense of smell helping them to avoid any patrolling teachers though everyone was probably asleep by now.

“Good night Malfoy,” Kurona murmured as they split to enter their respective dorms. “Sweet dreams” she sang in a deceptively sweet voice.

Draco grimaced, stomach heavy like a stone. He was pretty certain there would be no sleep for him tonight. Not now that his life was completely changed and not because of the Dark Lord like he would have thought. He rubbed his throat thoughtfully. No situation was without its profit though as his father would say. There had to be some way this could benefit him and he would find it and exploit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, two chapters uploaded at once! Crazy!! Now, I know it's kinda weird that ghouls are supposedly immune to spells yet Harry and Kurona are a wizard and witch respectively. My explanation is that they weren't born ghouls and therefore were magical before their transformation so it stayed with them. A born ghoul will have it's own brand of magic like most magical creatures but transformed wizards/witches' own magic will stay the same and still affect themselves but other people's magic won't. Hope that helps explain things in this chapter. Thanks for reading!


	7. Suspicion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I know it's been awhile. Don't hate me too much 0_0;

The first thing Severus did was report the incident to Dumbledore. It was a matter of student safety now. 

It was late at night of course so Dumbledore appeared at his office door in his pajama robes. The bright red cloth hemmed in gold was covered in tiny roaring lions. His nightcap was of the same color but with little golden snitches flying around and around in dizzying circles.

“Severus? What are you doing here so late?” The elderly man’s pale blue eyes creased as he peered through his half moon lenses past his candle held aloft within the frame of the door. Severus pushed past him with a low grunt. Brushing his long white beard thoughtfully, Albus followed at a slower pace summoning a tea set to pour tea for them both while Severus slumped heavily into one of the plush red armchairs with a low sigh. 

“I was out meeting Lupin at the pub. As we were leaving we spotted something attacking Mundungus and dragging him into an alley.” 

“Oh my...well before we get into that...milk? Sugar?” Albus asked, blue eyes twinkling.

“Yes. Two cubes please and just a little milk.” Albus nodded and handed him the cup with its saucer. Severus nodded his thanks and accepted the fragile china.

“Is Mundungus alright?” Albus asked.

“Yes, we took him to the hospital wing. He wasn’t injured beyond repair but his left leg was cleanly amputated below the knee. He was almost killed,” he paused briefly to sip his tea and certainly not for dramatic effect, “by a ghoul.”

Albus actually choked on his sip of tea, a very unusual reaction to incur from the usually unflappable old man. “What would a ghoul be doing in Hogsmeade?” he wondered, looking visibly disturbed.

As he should be, thought Severus fiercely. Ghouls were bad news no matter what. “He did not side with the Dark Lord when I asked but that doesn’t mean he might not in the future.”

Albus nodded. “What did he look like?” He leaned back in his large wingback chair, his determined expression recalling memories from battles over fifteen years ago. 

Severus frowned as he threw his mind back to that moment. “He seemed young but it was very dark and he was clearly disguising his voice. I think he was worried about being recognized as he seemed very keen to get away despite being completely invulnerable to our spells.”

“Oh dear. That is not good news.” 

“Should we cancel Hogsmeade weekends for the students?” He reluctantly suggested.

Albus shook his head. “No. I don’t believe it likely that a ghoul would risk hunting during the day. He will likely stick to the cover of night. If parents or any other teachers,” he emphasized carefully, “with government connections, however, were to discover this then Hogwarts would be closed instantly.”

“Then what should we do?” Severus snapped, frustration raising his voice. “None of our spells worked. I highly doubt we could beat it in a real fight.”

Albus frowned, lost in thought as he stirred his tea with a small silver teaspoon. “I will contact the Order and have a regular patrol set up. It would not do to do nothing but we must not let Dolores catch wind of this.”

Severus nodded, his eyes dark. “Agreed.”

However, despite the patrols, there was no sign of any presence of ghouls since that night. Winter break was a few weeks away and all the students were burning with excitement. Harry in particular was excited for his trip. He was currently working on some homework in the common room. He sat in one of the comfy red chairs right beside the roaring fire which really helped with the chill in the tower. He looked up as Hermione sat on the couch closest to him.

“Anything you need help with?” she asked.

Harry shook his head. “Not really. I’m almost done, anyways.” There was a pause between them and he could see the hesitation clear on her face. He rolled his eyes and set down his quill. “What is it, Mione?”

Hermione smiled a little. Harry and Ron were the only ones who ever called her that. “I know you said you weren’t interested in teaching the study group but I wanted to let you know the invitation is still open. We will be meeting for the first time after winter break and people seem really interested. Hopefully, this will help a lot of students especially those with OWLS or NEWTS coming up. Not everyone is as gifted as you are in Defense and Umbridge is just making everything worse.” She was missing a lot of the usual bossiness in her tone and Harry understood then how much she really wanted him to do this with her.

He stared at her for a long moment. Her smell was as distinct as every human he met. She was like a hearty soup in winter that warmed your body and your soul paired with piping hot fresh bread from the oven slathered with butter. It was a very comforting scent. His heart thawed a little bit at the fresh sincerity. Ron and Hermione had been his first friends and though they could annoy him like crazy sometimes they were his family just as much as Kurona was. He had been keeping them at arm's length since he became a ghoul to protect them (and he was secretly scared of them rejecting him). His lips twitched into a smile.

“Alright,” he relented with a shrug. She didn’t register his answer at first but then pure delight lit up her face and she hugged him tightly. 

“Oh, thank you thank you thank you! You won’t regret it! Oh, I need to start writing up lesson plans! I swear you won’t have to worry about a thing. You just need to show up and lend your wisdom.” She said all that so fast that without his advanced senses, it probably would have just gone right over his head.

He laughed. “It’s fine, Hermione. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll let you know when the first meeting is.” The beaming smile didn’t leave her face as she bustled away (to get started on her lesson planning presumably), leaving Harry to laugh softly under his breath. That girl never changed.

Ron walked up, gaze focused on her retreating back. “Hey mate, what’s got Hermione in such a tizzy?”

Harry gave him a wry look. “I agreed to help her with her study group. She’s gone to plan the whole thing out to the last dot.”

Ron laughed. “Should’ve guessed. First S.P.E.W. and now this. What made you change your mind?” Ron gave him a speculative look. Sometimes, Harry forgot that Ron had a very strategic and rational mind hidden beneath the layers of teen foolishness. He still hadn’t won a single game against him in chess since he’d met him.

“Well...I guess I didn’t realize it was such a big deal to her. I feel like I’ve been struggling with a lot of things this year and I just couldn’t handle anything extra. But...maybe this is a good thing. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten out of my shell.” He fiddled with a loose thread on his sleeve cuff, avoiding his friend’s gaze.

Ron sat down on the overstuffed couch and leaned over the armrest towards Harry. “Hey, uh, you know I’m not the best with my feelings or anything, but things really haven’t been the same since summer. It was a mistake not to write to you just because Dumbeldore said to. I’m a lousy friend and I feel like an idiot y’know? I guess I didn't realize how my actions would affect you.” Taking courage, he looked up at Harry finally. The black haired boy was staring at him, his green eyes wide but he looked super touched by his heartfelt speech.

“I’m just sorry it took me this long to say sorry and actually mean it. I’m a dunderhead, Harry and that probably won’t change but you were my first real friend and...well, if you need help just ask me. I’ll do what I can.”

Harry’s entire posture relaxed and he smiled so genuinely that Ron realized he hadn’t seen it in a very long time. “That means a lot to me, Ron. I do have something that is bothering me but I can’t tell you yet. And thank you for being my first real friend too.”

Ron grinned and broke the moment by leaping up from the couch. “Come on, let’s go to breakfast. I’m starved!” He paused when he noticed Harry lose his happy shine. Now that he thought about it, Harry hadn’t been eating alot since summer.

“Do you need to see Madam Pomphrey?” At his questioning look he explained, “Well, you haven’t been eating much all year and well, I know you hate the hospital wing but maybe you should go. It could be something really bad and you just don’t know it yet.”

Harry’s smile was barely there now and his green eyes were shadowed by pain. It alarmed Ron terribly that he hadn’t even noticed until now how distressed his friend really was. But then Harry sent him a wide smile and said, “No, I’m fine Ron but thank you. I probably just didn’t get enough sleep last night. Come on, let’s just get going.” He turned to head towards the common room door leaving Ron to stare confused at his back.

“W-wait, Harry!”

He hadn’t imagined it. Why? Why wouldn’t Harry talk to him?

Breakfast was quiet between the three of them as Ron was quite subdued and Hermione was reviewing something in her potions book for class. Once again, Harry simply picked at his food. He’d picked bacon, eggs, and toast with black coffee. He’d convinced the house elves to send up coffee in the mornings after stopping by the kitchens one night. Dobby was more than happy to take care of that for him. 

He crunched on the bacon first. The texture wasn’t too bad but the meat tasted rotten. He tucked the chewed bits inside his cheek and took another bite. As he did so, he glanced up at the head table and met eyes with Snape. The man was staring directly at him, examining every move. Harry twitched, his eyes widening as his hand sent his fork screeching across the plate.

“Huh? Harry, you okay?” Ron asked.

Startled, Harry whirled in his seat to face Ron. “O-oh, uh yeah, Snape is just staring weirdly at me for no reason. It’s giving me the creeps,” he muttered. He took another reluctant bite of bacon. Pretending to wipe his mouth, he spat the chewed bacon bits into it, balled it up, and set it next to his plate. He then guzzled some coffee and continued to work his way through his meal until his friends were ready to go to class.

Severus Snape turned to the Headmaster beside him. “What do you think?”

Dumbledore frowned, the twinkle in his eye diminishing until his usually warm blue eyes were a cold sapphire. “I think it is time I had a conversation with Mr. Potter. I’m afraid I’ve let this go too long.”

Severus frowned, guilt weighing heavy in his stomach. While he disliked Potter on principle, he had vowed to protect him when he was born. And perhaps he did feel a little bit of genuine worry outside of the vow.

A few days later, four days before everyone was due to leave for winter break, Harry received a note to visit Dumbledore in his office. Harry clutched the note tightly, anger and fear warring inside him. He couldn’t go. There was no way he could trust the man but he had to or it would look even more suspicious. What to do?

At around 8 o’clock he stood outside the Headmaster’s office, staring silently at the gargoyle. It stared blankly back.

“Blood pops,” he muttered, sticking said candy in his mouth at the same time. They were a far cry from actual human blood but it calmed him enough to be worth it. His teeth, however, attempted to sharpen despite stomping the feeling down ruthlessly. 

The spiral staircase moved upwards, bringing him right outside the solid chestnut door of Dumbledore’s office. A soft voice called out, “Come in.” Opening the door, he carefully popped his head in first to survey his surroundings, then cautiously closed the door behind him when he saw only Dumbledore behind his desk. 

The man looked tired but no less strong, his blue eyes twinkling magnanimously. “Take a seat, Harry.”

Harry stared at the corner to his left, conflicting signals warring in his head. There was no one there but he could smell someone. Was there a spy in the office? Wouldn’t Dumbledore know someone was there though? He decided to ignore it for now, sitting down in one of the cozy armchairs.

“You seem tense. You’re not in any trouble you know. Tea?” he offered. Harry shook his head as Dumbledore poured a cup for himself and took a sip. 

They sat in silence, observing each other. Dumbledore had not had a moment to really look at Harry up close since the summer as he was determined to avoid his favorite student for his protection. He seemed a little thinner, though with a bit more muscle showing. His eyes were what truly concerned him however; they were shadowed with deep lines giving him a haunted appearance. His skin was also rather pale and he was nursing a sucker that stuck out between thin pink lips.

He cleared his throat. “I’ve been hearing that you haven’t been feeling well from some members of my staff; is that correct? You can certainly tell me if something is bothering you, my boy.”

That got a reaction. Harry’s eyes narrowed, anger and dare he say, hate, sparking deep within. “I hope you’ll forgive me sir but I haven’t really felt like you’ve cared at all about my wellbeing since last year.”

Dumbledore didn’t need to pretend to feel guilty at that jab. He winced a little. “It is not that I don’t care, Harry; however, things have been growing increasingly more dangerous now that Voldemort has returned. I want to keep you safe and my time is taken by a lot of things that ensure that.”

Harry looked down at his lap, his teeth gritting tightly. Dumbledore was used to explosions of rage from this boy, not this quiet brewing inside his mind. Perhaps he should use legilimency?

“Of course. Is that all this is about? You’re worried I’m not well?”

“Yes, even your friends have mentioned to me that you don’t seem to be eating well.” Harry’s eyes widened. “Please tell me what can I do to help?”

Finally, Harry met his gaze, fear and worry clear in the creases around his mouth and eyes. “I-”

Dumbledore was met with a strange image as he invoked the legilimens spell. Petunia Dursley sat at her dining room in a blue floral dress, dark red blood dripping from a hole straight through her head where her left eye had been. The pink lipstick around her gaping mouth was engulfed by her own blood dying it red. Something waved through the air off to his left but he couldn’t see it properly in the memory. Shuddering with horror, he did not pursue the memory further. 

Harry’s eyes were quite glazed as he pulled out, staring off into the distance. Dumbledore frowned as he noticed an odd shimmer near the corner of Harry’s right eye. A glamour? Why would he need such a thing? 

“Harry?” he questioned hesitantly.

Harry stared blankly at him for a moment. What was that? He had felt something briefly but he couldn’t identify it. Was it a spell? Why did that memory suddenly come to mind?

“Have you been receiving any odd dreams recently, Harry?”

Harry blinked, confused by the apparently random question. “No…”

“Hmm.” So if that wasn’t a dream sent by Voldemort, was it truly a memory? “Do you know what happened to your relatives, Harry?”

Harry blinked, trying not to reveal anything telling but he couldn’t quite stop the slight twitch of his eyes. His kakugan was trying very hard to reveal itself after that memory.

“No. They disappeared and I haven’t heard from them since.” The worry he injected tasted incredibly false on his tongue but Dumbledore just nodded, not pursuing it further. 

“There have been no signs of them that I can find, Voldemort or otherwise.” Harry nodded silently, staring at his lap to avoid the honest concern in the headmaster’s eyes. It made him sick.

“Well, if there’s nothing else I need to go to bed. I’m very tired.” And he did look the part; Dumbledore couldn’t deny that.

“Very well then, I would like you to promise me that you will take better care of yourself. If you won’t tell me what’s going on then trust your friends. They only want to help.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, of course. Thanks Professor.”

Dumbledore smiled gently, but as soon as Harry was gone he turned to a spot in the corner to the left of the door. “Well, Severus?”

The disillusionment spell dropped and Severus Snape stepped up to his desk. They both stared at the door where their student had just left through. “There is something going on with that boy. I just can’t put my finger on it,” he sneered. Dumbledore steepled his fingers in front of his chin.

“I saw something briefly in his mind. I couldn’t tell if it was a memory or a dream.” He cast his eyes down to the wooden grain of his cherry wood desk. “It was horrific. I will simply have to show you.” He cast the memory into his pensieve where Snape was able to view it as well. He was no less stunned.

“That can’t be real. What could cause a wound like that even?”

Dumbledore sighed. “I fear Harry might have witnessed an attack on his family and suppressed the memory but it was so traumatic that it’s the first thing my spell struck. This could also explain why he isn’t eating well. Perhaps the trauma cannot be quite covered by his amnesia of the event.”

Severus frowned. “That could be but…,” he shook his head, “the boy’s aura has completely changed. If it wasn’t Potter I would say he was a dark creature of some kind.”

Dumbledore hummed quietly, popping a lemon drop in his mouth. “Yes, he does emit a strange aura now. Very strange… If he has become a dark creature, I don’t know what kind he would be. His behavior doesn’t match with any I know of.”

Scowling, Severus said, “Well Potter aside, perhaps it’s time we call in some real experts then. We need people who can detect and fight ghouls properly otherwise we are just sitting ducks with the Dark Lord trying to recruit them.”

“Yes, yes, I agree. Also, would you mind checking on Arthur tonight? I believe it is his turn to patrol the Department.”

“Of course.”


	8. Winter Break Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look! Two chapters in one day! Hope that makes up for the long wait... I can't guarantee when the next update will be.

As usual, Harry’s dreams were filled with death and dying but oddly enough, it changed halfway through to where his point of view was much lower than usual. His head swayed from side to side as he moved down a long hallway with a familiar door at the end. It had been invading his dreams for quite sometime but to be honest, his violent dreams concerned him more than this stupid long hallway. 

But this time there was someone standing outside the door as if waiting for someone.

As he got closer, he realized it was Arthur Weasley looking quite tired and ready for bed. Footsteps sounded behind him but he was on a mission. Hunt, kill…

Mr. Weasley suddenly looked at him in alarm, quickly raising his wand and firing a spell. Harry bared his fangs and moved to strike, teeth sinking into a clothed calf, but was suddenly hurled away by a quick spell. Screaming and frantic shouting deafened him as he tried to escape, activating a portkey attached to his neck by his master. Unfortunately, the mission was a failure.

Harry woke panting and sweating heavily. He rubbed his face roughly trying to scrub the images from his brain. He looked over at Ron who was still sleeping and though he hesitated to wake him up, he felt unnerved dreaming about his best friend’s dad being attacked.

Quietly he tiptoed from his bed to Ron and shook him awake. Ron opened bleary eyes. “Harry? What's going on?” he mumbled sleepily, propping himself up on one elbow.

Harry sat on his friend’s bed at a loss for words suddenly but remembering what Ron had said to him earlier that week. “Uh, I uh, had a weird dream and your dad was in it.” He explained the dream to Ron who looked quite perplexed. “It felt so real. I think it really happened,” he said slowly, praying his friend wouldn’t laugh him off.

Ron stared at him speechless for a second then he said, “We should tell Dumbledore then. Maybe he can check on my dad or something.”

“Right.” Harry looked away, feeling guilty for some reason.

They quietly got dressed and left the dorm to go to the headmaster’s office under the invisibility cloak. Harry said the same password as earlier that night and rode the moving staircase up to Dumbledore’s office. He didn’t even have the chance to knock, however, before Dumbledore’s voice called “Enter”.

They stepped in uneasily where they saw Dumbledore standing at the foot of the staircase that went up to his private rooms. 

“Hello boys, a bit late at night for a social call, isn’t it?” He chuckled, his blue eyes kind but keen as he gazed at them.

“I’m sorry professor. I had a weird dream and I know that sounds stupid but could you check on Ron’s dad for me and make sure he’s okay?” He rubbed his right upper arm with his left sheepishly.

Dumbledore smiled gently. “I don’t mind. I will send him a message while you explain your dream.” He called up his phoenix patronus which he whispered a message to before it flew away, disappearing through the stone wall. Harry then explained what had unnerved him so: that he realized he’d attacked Arthur Weasley as a snake.

Not long after he finished explaining, a slender doe patronus cantered in and spoke with Snape’s voice. “Arthur is recovering and in stable condition. I arrived just in time; a large python had just bitten him. I have taken him to St. Mungo’s.”

Ron gasped and Harry whirled to face him. The boy was white as a sheet, his freckles stark against his skin. “Oh my god, dad…”

“I understand you are distressed Mr. Weasley. How about a lemon drop?” The boy blinked but automatically took one and popped it in his mouth, immediately relaxing a little. Harry, however, refused with an apologetic smile. 

“Now, seeing as your father’s health has been confirmed, it might be a good idea for you two to go back to bed for now. I am sure you will be hearing from your parents tomorrow.” Ron slowly nodded before standing to leave. Before Harry could stand too, Dumbledore addressed him.

“Please tell me any other time you experience these dreams, Harry. It would seem they are somehow based in reality.”

Harry hesitated before agreeing reluctantly. Then they left and headed back to bed but neither could really fall to sleep. Harry couldn’t stop seeing the terrified face of his friend’s father, a face that was terrified of him.

Pig flew in near the end of breakfast, surprising everybody when he landed in a platter of eggs, with a letter for Ron who opened it with an expression that expected the worst. Hermione bit her lip beside him. They had told her what happened as soon as they all met in the common room to go down to breakfast together.

“Is he okay?” Harry asked.

“Y-yeah, it says he was bitten but they were able to give him antivenin in time,” he whispered as if saying it too loud would cause something bad to happen. Mum says she’s coming to get us all early for winter break today at lunch.” 

“Can we come to visit him?”

“I don’t know...I just don’t know! What if he had died? Merlin, I can’t be here right now.” He stood up quickly and rushed out of the Great Hall.

Hermione and Harry followed quickly. Ron had escaped outside to stand in the cold winter air. Snow had started falling recently and was slowly powdering everything white. The letter was clenched tightly in his right hand, the knuckles turning white. Hermione shared kind words but Harry just felt empty. He didn’t know the first thing to say to his friend as all he could feel was guilt. He closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around Ron’s shoulders. He didn’t have the words but he hoped Ron would hear what he couldn’t say anyways.

Later that day, all the Weasley’s left school to visit their dad. Harry visited a day later with Hermione during which Mr. Weasley thanked him profusely for warning Dumbledore but Harry couldn’t handle it and quickly left the room. Two days later, he left the wizarding world behind and stepped into Heathrow Airport with Kurona to begin the long flight to Japan.

They arrived at Haneda Airport late at night and caught a bus to take them to the 15th ward on the far west side of central Tokyo. They were so tired they hardly spoke a word to each other on the way there though Harry observed the landscape from his spot by the window seat. A while later, the bus dropped them off at a nice home in the suburbs with two stories and a decent sized yard. It was so clean and orderly that Harry began having deja vu of the Dursley’s house.

Kurona knocked three times on the front door then waited. Soft footsteps could be heard approaching from inside before the door swung gently open. Dr. Kanou stood in the doorway, the lights inside the house casting his face in shadow. A giant smile lit his face.

“Kurona! Sweetheart” he engulfed the slim girl in a massive hug. He then turned to Harry. “And Harry. It has certainly been awhile.” Even though Harry wasn’t expecting anything, Kanou offered him a hug as well and Harry wasn’t about to pass up.

Just as he’d thought, the doctor’s hug was warm and inviting. He was strong despite his age and Harry smiled at how safe he felt there. Blushing a little, he rubbed the back of his head shyly. 

“Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

Dr. Kanou just smiled and waved them inside. “Would you like some snacks? I know you’ve had a long trip. I’ll put some coffee on.”

“That would be wonderful, daddy. Thank you.” She sat down on the dark brown leather couch, the texture smooth against her fingertips. On the mantle were pictures of her and Nashiro as kids at school and later after they were adopted by Kanou. It hurt to see her little sister’s face but the pain was dulled. She glanced to the other side of the couch where Harry sat stiffly, clearly nervous. A loud clatter from the kitchen made him jump. He sent her a sheepish smile.

“Harry,” she smiled. “I’m going to go lend my dad a hand. I’ll be right back.” She didn’t wait for his nod and hurried to the kitchen. There she found Kanou pouring the coffee and preparing some light snacks on a tray. A few cubes of red meat gleamed on a separate tray. Kurona leaned against the counter watching him work. 

“Something on your mind, sweetheart?”

She gulped. “What are you planning to do with Harry?” she whispered, heart pounding in her chest.

Kanou side eyed her, the kind blue looking very empty all of a sudden, revealing his true nature. “Why my dear would you think I’m planning something? Am I not a doting father?”

Kurona’s hands rubbed anxiously together. “I know when you’re planning something. I can help you if you let me know what it is.” Her tongue slid out to wet her suddenly dry lips.

Kanou smirked. “Oh, is that so? My darling daughter wants to know what I’m planning.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “For now nothing major. I would like to learn more about this wizarding community and how it might benefit my research. Harry is an interesting subject for sure.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully with his index finger. “From what you’ve told me, he eats more often and has a bigger appetite than a natural ghoul. I would like to determine why. Even Kaneki did not have such a frequent appetite and he took after the Binge Eater...my most perfect creation.” He murmured, smiling deviously.

Well, that didn’t sound too bad, she thought. She had no idea, however, what he was really planning and Kanou had no intention of informing her. There was an obvious bond between the two half ghouls and he would be stupid to underestimate that.

“Here, take the snack tray. I will be in with the coffee in just a moment.” She nodded and did as told. As soon as her back was turned he added a drop of liquid from a small vial in his pocket. He had been working on this toxin for quite some time. Very few things could harm a ghoul but he had managed to concoct a substance that would prevent one from digesting food properly. He would feel tired and lethargic but it wouldn’t harm him permanently. It would make it easier to overcome the boy’s ghoul enhanced strength as well.

No time like the present, he smirked as he entered the living room.

“So tell me about this boarding school you both attend. I understand it teaches magic; what does that entail?”

Harry smiled and took a sip of coffee first. “It teaches all sorts of things: charms, transfiguration, potions, and such. There’s electives too like arithmancy which is like math but with magic and care of magical creatures.”

“What is the class you hate the most?”

“Potions, definitely potions,” Harry laughed sheepishly. “The teacher kinda hates my guts so it’s not entirely my fault I’m so bad at it.”

Kurona grinned, pride in every word. “He’s very good at Defence against the Dark Arts. I think of it like battle magic.”

“Fascinating. To think there’s a whole world hidden right under our noses. Is there a magical community in Japan, I wonder?”

“I think so,” Harry said. “Their government is called Mahoujinchou.”

“Ah, Department for Wizards roughly translated.”

Dr. Kanou agreed and glanced over at the clock as it chimed the hour. He set his cup down on the coffee table.“Well, it’s late and you’ve had a very long flight. Get to bed and we’ll talk about this more tomorrow.”

Harry nodded, already yawning as Kurona showed him where he would be sleeping. He quickly changed into some pajamas and in seconds he was out. 

The next day saw snowfall in Tokyo, blanketing everything in white. While Harry was still sleeping from jet lag, Amon was currently at CCG headquarters arriving early for another day of work. He began the day with a cup of black coffee while he checked over the paperwork on his desk. Now that the CCG dealt with tracking rogue ghouls rather than every ghoul out there, he had been assigned to the new Investigations Department. He rarely went out into the field, which he much preferred, and researched leads in current or cold cases that involved ghouls making unauthorized kills. His job included keeping an eye on international incidents as well. With his feet propped up on the desk, the open blinds behind him letting in brilliant beams of golden light, he surfed his computer for news.

Ten minutes in, he came upon an odd headline “Mysterious deaths in Little Whinging”. He sat up halfway through the article, carefully placing his coffee mug on the desktop. 

Police are still investigating the strange deaths of the Dursley family, residents of Little Whinging, Britain. Vernon and Petunia Dursley and their son Dudley were last seen June 29. Their car was later discovered ten miles outside Sussex with blood and other indeterminate fluids staining the interior. Police have found no leads as of yet though have found after talking to their nephew, who has requested to stay anonymous, that after returning from Japan a few days ago their behavior was somewhat suspicious. They seemed paranoid and afraid of something though there was no indication as to the cause. No bodies have yet been found.

Amon frowned. There was no reason to suspect it was a ghoul attack (especially since it was before the registration passed) but something about it made him suspicious. Another article caught his eye, also from England, but in a more Northern neighborhood where a man had been disemboweled and showed signs of being partially eaten along with more partial evidence outside near the back of the house. Amon gaped. This one was much more obvious but how was this possible? Had any ghouls left the country yet? Was it possible one had managed to slip out? 

He looked up the records of ghouls whose destination was for the U.K. since the registration passed. There were only three. Two male and one female. 

An even better question was how he hadn’t seen these articles earlier. Almost half a year had passed since the incidents in question. But in his defense, they had both been reported by two small local newspapers and hadn’t made it to the international level. He had just randomly started searching for any strange attacks because now ghouls were international. They had to now operate on a much more global scale at least until there were task forces capable of handling them in every country.

“Good morning Amon-san!” Juuzo chirped as he walked in. He set his coat down across the back of a chair and sat down. “What’s on the agenda today?” Amon showed him the news articles. Juuzo’s face turned blank. “This sounds like a ghoul,” he said surprised.

Amon nodded. “I think so too.”

“It’s international though. Do we even have any authority to cross those kinds of lines?”

Amon shrugged. “I don’t know but I’m going to find out.”

He visited Director Washuu later that day and presented his suspicions to which the man listened intently. “I will investigate these occurrences and hopefully they will send us a sample of that saliva they collected. That would be the clearest sign of a ghoul presence.”

Amon sighed with relief. “Thank you sir. May I ask that Juuzou and I be assigned to the case if it appears legitimate?”

“Having discovered this I wouldn’t want to give it to anyone else. You are a very perceptive officer and you certainly have the tact for international relations. Juuzou on the other hand…” he chuckled. “Well, you’ll just have to keep an eye on him.”

Amon laughed. It wasn’t a secret that Juuzou’s strength was in his quinx, not his personality. Amon smiled. “One more request director.”

Washuu raised an eyebrow curiously.

“I would like to request...civilian help.”

Kaneki yawned, his jaw cracking. He sipped a mug filled with black coffee freshly brewed from high quality Arabica beans. The sun was beginning to shine through the windows of the cafe as he switched the sign from “closed” to “open”. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and he really needed some sleep. He’d been having some rather hopeless insomnia lately, but that was mostly because he was getting hungry for some real food instead of the small blood cubes he ingested now and then. 

Kaneki as well as others in Anteiku mostly subsisted on the suicide victims brought in by Yomo but occasionally received food from the government as a part of the new act passed recently. The government of Japan now provided food for 80% of Japan’s ghoul population sourced from bodies obtained through human on human crimes as well as suicide victims. There was also a plan in the works for those on death row to be offered as ghoul food. There was even a discussion about criminals being killed directly by ghouls though human rights activists were openly against this idea.

Kaneki returned to the kitchen to check on the staff who were busy prepping for the breakfast rush. He helped fetch bacon and sausage from the fridge and set out heavy pans which received grateful smiles. Touka appeared as the first customer entered, the doorbell jingling softly. She greeted them, a young man and woman, then guided them to a booth where she took their order. By smell alone Kaneki knew they were human. Touka brought them their caramel frappuccino for the lady and the coffee with cream and sugar for the man. Soon the cafe began to flood with people, ghouls and humans alike. The humdrum of a typical busy Saturday morning took off with Kaneki and Touka working in tandem to deliver each and every order in an efficient manner. Nishiki eventually arrived in time for the lunch rush.

Near closing time, the cafe had cleared out. The sun was setting and the rosy glow lit the cherry wood floors as Kaneki finished counting the register. Nishiki was preparing the linens for tomorrow and Touka was in the back grabbing a snack. The front door chimed unexpectedly, surprising Kaneki and Nishiki who glanced confusedly at each other before turning to the door. 

Kaneki immediately recognized their guests as the CCG investigators, Amon and Juuzou. 

“What the hell...hey, we’re closed! Can’t you read the sign?” Nishiki sneered.

“Ah, well we’re here to speak with Kaneki if that’s alright?” Amon smiled diplomatically while Juuzou just grinned widely, showing off his straight white teeth.

Kaneki sighed, tired and wanting nothing more than to just rest. “Alright. Sit anywhere you like and I’ll be right back.” He turned and disappeared into the backroom where he spotted Touka delicately chewing on some fresh meat lying inside a white paper wrapping. Yoshimura and Yoma sat with her also eating and drinking coffee.

“Hey guys. Any fresh coffee back here?”

“Of course Kaneki. We made more than enough. Would you like something to eat?” Yoshimura asked kindly. The older man considered himself a father if not a role model to the half ghoul who had been thrust so suddenly into their world less than a year ago.

Kaneki smiled. “Maybe later. There are some guests here I need to talk to.”

“Oh?”

“It’s those doves Amon and Juuzou.”

All three at the table tensed. Old habits die hard after all and no one trusted the doves despite the tentative peace.

“Be careful” Yoshimura warned him sternly. Yomo looked tense and Touka looked downright furious. 

Kaneki just smiled, nodding silently as he gathered three mugs of coffee and glasses of water on a tray with cream and sugar before walking back out. The two investigators had chosen a booth at the very front of the cafe, where golden lamplight bathed them gently through the dark twilight outside. Amon was staring outside while Juuzou was looking around the cafe marveling at how stylish the interior was. 

Kaneki set down the drinks before placing the tray on the next table over. He sat down beside Amon, preferring to be as far from the strange Juuzou as possible. 

“Ah, thank you” Amon smiled as he saw the coffee. Juuzou grinned and grabbed the water on the other hand.

“So what’s going on?” Kaneki asked, carefully sipping his black coffee. Juuzou stared at him oddly.

“How are you drinking that?” he asked. “I thought ghouls couldn’t process human food?” He looked somewhat bewildered.

Kaneki shrugged. “We can drink coffee amazingly enough but that’s about it.”

“Huh” the kid mumbled, impressed.

Amon cleared his throat, capturing their attention. “Anyways, we’re here because we need to ask for a small favor.”

Kaneki cocked his head, bemused. “A favor?”

“Yes, we received confirmation today that there is a rogue ghoul in the U.K. and Juuzou and I will be going to help the authorities track them down. We will be leaving in two weeks.”

Kaneki frowned. “I don’t see what that has to do with me. You’re the doves, you handle it,” he scoffed. He leaned back in his seat, arms folded across his chest. 

Amon tensed. “Well, it would certainly make it easier if we had a few trusted ghouls to lend a hand not to mention it will look good for the new armistice. Director Washuu is already considering having a handpicked team of ghouls to assist in rogue ghoul capture. Although of course it’s up to you. We won’t force you in any way.” He chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. “Wow, this coffee is really good” he exclaimed.

Kaneki laughed. “Secret recipe I’m afraid. Touka guards it with her life.”

Amon eyed the ghoul over the rim of his cup, a soft smile on his face. Despite what he knew about Eyepatch and Centipede he couldn’t help but admire the strength and tenacity of Kaneki. Without his mask he was just so normal. It was beyond strange.

“Well, I hope that you will take this offer into consideration. The British government has already agreed to your stay. It may be months before we return so food will be provided for you there.”

Kaneki sighed. “I don’t know…”

“Well, I know one thing for sure, you’re not going alone.”

Kaneki blinked up at Touka who stood with her hip cocked and arms crossed, glaring down at him.

“Touka! Wait--”

“Nope! No arguing. I’m going with you. Besides, I’ve always wanted to see Britain.” She smirked. “Come on Kaneki. You can’t say you don’t want to get out of Japan right? See the world?”

Kaneki grumbled good naturedly under his breath before finally sighing “Fine”. Touka laughed. Juuzou snickered and Amon struggled to hide his laughter behind his coffee cup. 

“Then it’s decided. Here is the exact time and day.” He wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper from in his pocket. “We’ll see you then.” He bowed politely as did Juuzou before leaving the Anteiku employees to finish closing up shop for the night.


	9. Winter Break Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another installment! I hope you guys like it. Here we see a new character enter the stage :)

“Oh my gosh! You are going to love it here. There’s so much I want to show you. There’s the illumination at Tokyo Michi Terrace. Oh! And we should definitely go ice skating! Oh, oh, and we should go to Meiji Tingu Shrine to welcome the New Year with wishes!” Harry laughed brightly at his sister’s enthusiasm. She wound her arm through his, holding him close as they were walking around Shibuya two days after landing, shopping and exploring the city. 

The streets were crowded and alive with happy shoppers and the buildings were all lit up against the dark backdrop of the night sky. So far they visited Yoyogi Park and the shops at Shibuya Station but mostly shops. Harry soon discovered that Kurona was just like many other girls and liked to spend her time looking at all sorts of things to buy. But Christmas was in two days so it was packed. It was after 7 pm and they were exhausted but Kurona was still happy to point out landmarks to him as they walked.

They stopped early on to buy some new clothes for them both at Shibuya 109, a huge fashion metropolis. Now for only the second time in his life, Harry was wearing clothes that fit him perfectly. He wore black skinny jeans and a loose green jumper with a white star stitched on the front. Over this he sported a new dark green puffer coat and a silver gray scarf. A beanie of the same color covered his head. Kurona wore a pleated purple skirt, black stockings, and a white jumper with a red star on the front. Her coat was lilac with black stripes on the bottom and her long black hair was covered by a dark purple beanie.

They explored Omotesando and Takeshita Dori next, buying more clothes, shoes, makeup, and assorted jewelry. Thank Merlin he’d withdrawn enough money ahead of time at Gringotts. They bought so much that it was lucky they were wizards who knew expansion charms. Being in another country negated the trace for now so they used charms liberally to make their shopping a thousand times more fun. 

Harry still needed a few more presents and they were going to make one last stop at Tokyu Hand where Kurona told him they would be able to find just about anything whether you knew you were looking for it or not. He wanted to get something for his friends that would be cool but not reveal where he was. They were probably worried by now since he’d skipped out on the Order after all. But...he still didn’t really care. He was having too much fun!

So he found a cute necklace for Hermione as well as some English-Japanese language books since she’d sounded interested at one time. Translation spells were only temporary after all so even wizards had to learn languages the old fashioned way. For Ron, he found a really cool wind up watch that magic wouldn't interfere with.

Speaking of Japanese, Harry soaked it all up and started to really pick up the language for the first time. He’d felt awkward speaking the new language in Britain where everyone spoke English but here it was normal, which encouraged him to use it more. She showed him manga at bookstores, shocked that he’d never read one even once and demanded they buy a few. She grabbed several Doraemon comics for him that had the English as well so he could get a feel for the translations.

Christmas arrived with a flurry of snow and dark heavy clouds. Harry awoke slowly from a deep sleep, feeling invigorated and yet strangely lethargic. His eyes were heavy and he stretched slowly with a wide yawn. “Ah, it’s so good to wake up to peace and quiet,” he mumbled, smiling.

He dressed and went into the kitchen to find Kanou cooking an omelet. “Good morning, Harry-kun. Please have a seat. I will get you something to eat.” 

Surprised by the offer, Harry took a seat at the table, intently watching the doctor cook. The smell wasn’t very good but he had to admit there was a strange nostalgia in his heart at the simple action. The spatter of oil and the warmth of a home cooked meal reminded him of when he was human.

“Here you go.”

Kanou set a plate before him filled with bloody chunks of meat glistening with fat. Saliva thickened across his tongue. Kanou set down his own meal next to him, the omelette glistening with butter. “Ittadakimasu.” He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat slowly, savoring each flavor.

Harry normally didn’t take his time to savor his meals as he was always worried he would be found out but this time would be okay. He was safe; he could take his time. He repeated the Japanese phrase the doctor said and popped a meat cube in his mouth with his chopsticks. They were black with red lines at the top. A fork would have been nice but this was okay too.

“Did you sleep well?” Kanou asked politely.

Harry nodded. “Yeah but I still feel kinda tired. I don’t often get to sleep in so maybe my body just wants to get as much as it can,” he joked.

“Perhaps. And on top of getting lots of sleep you need to make sure you get enough nutrients so you can keep growing,” Kanou teased.

Harry sputtered. “I-I’m not short! Are you trying to call me short?” He cried fake tears at the thought. They both laughed at this.

“Oh hey, where is Kurona? She’s usually up so early.”

Kanou chuckled. “She told me she had to run an errand. In the meantime, we can open a few presents, yes?”

Harry grinned, excited to see what his friends had sent him. “Yeah!” He rushed to finish his meal at the news before he escaped to the living room where a Christmas tree had been set up against the wall, neatly wrapped presents scattered beneath it. It didn’t matter how many times he experienced Christmas it was always like the first time at Hogwarts when he got his first real presents.

Harry knelt by the tree at the edge of the tree skirt decorated with snowmen and stared at one of the little red bulbs he’d helped put on the tree last night. The white lights were glowing softly and even though they weren’t the fairy lights of Hogwarts, he felt they were just as magical.

A present was nudged before him. “Well, Harry? How about this one first?”

Harry took it gently and carefully took the paper off. It was a tiny earring and a bracelet made of silver inscribed with runes. “But I don’t have pierced ears,” Harry laughed. “This is from Kurona isn’t it?” He shook his head while he read the little card tucked inside.

“To replace your glamor spell and for extra protection. Do your best to be human touto-chan!” There was a smiley face after that with its tongue sticking out.

“I believe she mentioned taking you out to get your ears pierced tomorrow. Just in time for New Years.”

Harry grinned and opened another present; this one had matte green wrapping paper with a gold bow. Inside was a cell phone, probably about the last thing he expected to receive. 

“I noticed you didn’t have one so I took the liberty of purchasing one for you. I hope it will work at your school even though Kurona tells me that magic tends to interfere with technology; it certainly would be entertaining to search for a solution to such a problem one day. Are there universities or places where people can do research in the wizard world?”

Harry nodded, pressing buttons on the phone screen experimentally. “Yeah, it’s called the Department of Mysteries and it’s very hush hush whatever it is they do.” He glanced up briefly before returning his attention to the device. “I’ve never been there so I don’t know much else. As for universities, I think most witches and wizards apprentice to get their Masters. There’s no formal higher education like the kind in the muggle world.”

He opened another present and found it was from Hermione, a book about rare magical creatures though he wasn’t sure why she wanted him to have this since he wasn’t much of a reader nor did he have any interest in studying magical creatures. Underneath were some sweets, all of his old favorites. He smiled sadly at it.

“Hey, do you want to try some?” He handed a pumpkin pasty to Kanou who gave it a perplexed look before taking a small bite. He took some time to really analyze the flavor.

“A little too sweet for my tastes but it has a good base. I prefer dark chocolate over any other dessert.” 

“I know! Kurona told me so that’s what I got you,” Harry grinned widely as he handed Kanou a small box.

Kanou chuckled. “Of course she did. Ah, that reminds me, I have one more gift for you.”

Harry blinked curiously, taking the manila folder from Kanou’s weathered hands. He opened it and slid a couple papers out. Scanning the contents, a few words jumped out at him, mainly “adoption”. He stilled, confused and somewhat hopeful.

“Is this real?” he raised his head, his emerald eyes shining brightly. Uncertainty and happiness kindled within.

Kanou smiled gently. “This is just a formality to me. I feel as though you are already my son as much as Kurona is my daughter. It would honor me if you would at least consider this offer.”

Harry thought about it quietly, sitting down on the rug surrounded by discarded wrapping paper. “I always thought Sirius would be the one to adopt me. I wished hard for it from the moment I knew he was my godfather and actually wanted me, but the truth is I don’t know anymore if he would love me. I’ve become something disgusting and I can’t imagine why anyone in their right mind would want me let alone my own godfather.” He played with the wrapping paper, ripping tiny pieces from the corners in a frustrated fashion.

Kanou stilled Harry’s hands with his own. “After the rain, earth hardens.” Harry blinked, the Japanese phrase unfamiliar to him. Kanou sighed. “It means that difficulties will only make you stronger. Becoming a ghoul did not make you any less valuable than when you were a human being. It only means that you need to become stronger so that you can conquer these fears.”

Harry closed his eyes, feeling the strength in Kanou’s words alone. In the end, the only opinion that mattered was his own, it was the only opinion concerning him that had ever mattered. When he had been young and naive he’d thought that being adopted by Sirius would somehow cure all the toxic insecurities the Dursley’s had poured into his mind for years. And before Sirius, the magical world had provided that same hope until he realized there were people who still refused to see who he really was and not some stupid image provided by an event he had no remembrance of. It was time to grow up; he didn’t need someone else to define his worth anymore. 

“I need to think about this first.”

“Of course, take all the time you need.” His tone was purposefully gentle to reassure the love-starved boy. Harry was about to reply when the front door swung open.

“Tadaima!”

Kurona bounced into the living room, a girl Harry had never met following close behind. Her shoulder-length hair was a lovely aqua and her eyes were a deep gray. She wore an open black cardigan over her mint green turtleneck and a gray scarf around her neck. She smiled at him and Harry automatically blushed as she was certainly very pretty.

“Okaeri, Kuro-neechan! Thank you for the gift.” He got up from the floor in a hurry but found himself slightly dizzy for a moment. His pause wasn’t long enough to cause suspicion except for those who knew what to look for. Kanou’s amused smirk concealed itself behind his coffee cup as he took a sip.

“Aw, you’re welcome! Do you want to go out tomorrow to get your ear pierced?”

“Yeah, that would be awesome! Where did you buy it anyways?”

“I ordered it from this shop in Hogsmeade. They had a catalog that I picked up when I was there last.”

Harry glanced down at the bracelet before slipping it on. It immediately sized to fit his wrist. Suddenly, he realized he hadn’t even said hello to his sister’s friend yet. “I-I’m sorry, uh, my name is Harry Potter. What’s yours?” Now he was blushing all the way to the roots of his hair.

“My name is Eto Yoshimura, nice to meet you,” the girl greeted him kindly despite his embarrassment, bowing politely.

“Ah, Eto is an old friend of mine. We grew up together before I lived at the junior CCG academy. And...she is also a famous author that goes by the name Sen Takatsuki. Eto, this is my little brother, Harry-kun.”

“Hajimemashite,” Harry bowed in return. “You’re really an author? I don’t know Japanese well enough to read it yet but when I do I’ll check out your books. What genre are they?”

“Horror.” She smiled mischievously. “It can get a little bit gory from time to time.”

Harry made a face and laughed nervously. “Ah sorry, I don’t like horror too much. I’d rather stick to fantasy.” And the irony is I actually live it, he snickered inwardly.

“Oh well, to each his own!” she chirped. “So Kurona tells me you’re a newborn ghoul. You’re such a cutiepie!” She was a bit taller than him so she actually leaned down a bit and that just made Harry weep inside.

“I-I uh-,” his face went pale.

“Haha, not to worry!” she giggled. “I’m half ghoul as well albeit through a natural birth. My mother was human and my father a ghoul. My mother died a long time ago and I haven’t spoken to my dad in ages. We don’t really get along if you know what I mean. Anyway, do you guys have any coffee brewed by chance?” She glanced at Kanou who gave her a small discreet hand sign.

“Of course, Eto-chan. Harry, do you want one? Daddy?”

Harry nodded and Kanou also agreed to a cup. Harry wanted to join them but he sensed the girl’s wanted to talk by themselves so he sat back down beside the couch to look through his presents. There was still a present from Ron he hadn’t opened yet. It also came with a card.

I just want to thank you, Harry, from the bottom of my heart. I think the best thing you could have given to me for Christmas was my dad’s life. I can’t afford anything fancy, but I really wanted you to have this. 

Inside a tiny box was a tiny golden snitch made of a seamless metal. It’s tiny, gossamer wings fluttered gently but didn’t lift off. The box must have had some kind of charm to keep it from flying out on its own. It looked like something was engraved on the back of it but he couldn’t see it unless he took it out. He couldn’t believe his friend had bought him something so delicate. It was really quite beautiful, a true collector’s item.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Kurona poured the coffee into mugs, humming softly under her breath. The warmth from the cup seeped into her palms. “Eto, when will the wizards be arriving?” She took a sip. This was in continuation of an earlier conversation they had on the way here. She’d gone to pick her up when she called and said she needed a place to crash for a while. 

Eto’s return smile was dark over the rim of her cup. “Two wizards, Amycus Carrow and Lucius Malfoy, will be here on New Year's Day. Kanou has already given me his permission for them to stay the night.”

“Malfoy, huh? Figures,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “ Then she heaved a deep sigh. “That sounds like a terrible idea with Harry here. I thought you were just joking when you first told me.”

Eto laughed. “No joke. My house is kinda compromised right now but we still need a private meeting area. And before I say more, I’m not really interested in what they have to say. Their conflict has nothing to do with ours.” She sighed deeply and adjusted her glasses. “But I know several who will be interested, mostly because they enjoy fighting more than they do common sense,” she sneered.

“Harry is quite firmly on the opposing side, ghoul or not. I don’t think he’ll take too kindly to Death Eaters coming around.” She crossed her arms, contemplating the situation. Eto and Akihiro were constantly pulling the strings behind Aogiri Tree with some secret plan in mind but she was never in the know. All she wanted was to keep Harry safe. Beyond that she could care less.

Eto scowled, crossing her arms with a huff. “I don’t really care about any of that. He’ll stay out of the way like a good little chibi if he’s smart. Either way, unless they can offer some kind of benefit to us, to ghouls, I don’t see what there is to consider.”

“Well, Ghouls are considered Magical Creatures now according to Ministry law. On their scale, we’re considered one of the most deadly since we’re impervious to most of their best offensive spells.”

Eto froze. “Wait, what? Are you serious?” Eto gaped, completely astonished. “I figured magic would be a weapon we couldn’t fight.” She smirked mischievously, tapping her chin with her right index finger. “Hmm, this changes things.”

“How so?”

“We have leverage now, y’know, besides the eat-you-first, ask-questions-later thing. Maybe I can actually get something out of this.” She paused, contemplating this. “Do you think Harry would want to join in the negotiations? He has a unique position as a wizard ghoul after all!” She jumped to her feet, forming a peace sign with her right hand outstretched.

“Uh...I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” Kurona sweat-dropped at her friend’s enthusiasm.

“Aw, c’mon, you’re not going to keep him locked up while he’s here are you? He needs to meet other ghouls and get in touch with what that means. Not to mention a little birdy told me that the CCG are putting together a ghoul taskforce with actual ghoul members. Isn’t that crazy?” she exclaimed. “And, I know for a fact they’ve approached Ken Kaneki.”

Kurona scowled. The last time she’d run into the CCG, her sister had been murdered. Those disgusting humans--

“Wait,” her eyes widened, “you mean Centipede?” she squeaked. “Did you also hear if he accepted?”

“Uh, nope, no idea. I’m guessing he will probably agree, however, because he was once human after all. He sympathizes with the plight of our food.” She smirked, one sharp canine glinting against her lip. “Oh, I almost forgot. We should probably give them their coffee now.” They giggled.

“We talked so long that the coffee got cold. I’ll make a new pot,” Eto offered.

“Okay, I’m going to go see what Harry’s up to.” Kurona walked out of the kitchen.

As soon as she left, Eto’s expression turned dark. She turned to the coffee pot, making a new batch but adding a little something extra to Harry’s cup, a vial of dark maroon liquid Kanou had left for her in the top right drawer beside the fridge. He’d told her the effects had begun this morning after being dosed once a day each morning since he’d arrived so that would be four days. The symptoms took longer than past mixtures had so as to make it look more natural and less like a sudden poisoning.

Once Harry was pretty much down for the count, they would be able to examine him without him trying to escape. They didn’t want to hurt him more than they had to as he was a valuable specimen. It would be even better if Kanou could get the adoption to go through and then they could have unlimited access to him. Because, experiment or not, Harry would have to return to England after New Years to allay suspicion.

She left the kitchen with the mug and walked into the living room. “Here you are, Harry-kun.”

Harry looked up from the gold snitch and beamed up at her. He reached up and took the mug she leaned down to offer to him. “Thank you,Yoshimura-san.”

“Aw, Harry-kun, you’re so adorable!” Tiny hearts and stars practically sparkled, floating around her and in her eyes. “And you can call me Eto-chan, darling. Your sister and I were just discussing how you’d be coming to my New Year’s party. It will be amazing!”

“Eto!” Kurona, who had just entered the room at the tail end, scolded, her eyes wide. She had just told her not to involve Harry. She heaved a loud irritated sigh.

“S-Sure! I’d love to.” And of course he would agree, Kurona thought angrily, shaking her head. Fuming, she stiffly handed a mug of coffee to her dad who took it with an amused smile.

Eto sat down on the floor cross-legged next to Harry. “Okay, show me what you got for Christmas.” She suddenly turned to Kurona. “And you had better start opening some of your own or I might just run off with them missy.”

Kurona’s eyebrow twitched but she obligingly grabbed two packages with her name on the tag and sat on Harry’s other side. She noticed Harry watching her in anticipation which softened her anger a little bit.

“Eeeh, this is so cute! I was so sad when I noticed it was gone from the display case right after I just got done admiring it. Looks like touto-chan was paying attention,” she teased.

Harry blushed, ducking his head pleased.

She opened the next gift which was from her dad but she didn’t know what to make of it. It was a silver locket with a picture of her and Nashiro inside. Sad nostalgia filled her.

“It can fit two pictures. One of you and Nashiro, and another of you and Harry.” Kurona turned to him, her eyes slightly misty. Her daddy was not usually one for sentimental gifts but perhaps he’d changed a little and truly saw her as his daughter.

“Th-thank you daddy.” 

He nodded in acknowledgement. Kanou was not a gentle or outgoing man. He kept a lot of secrets and Kurona knew deep down that to some extent she was probably just a means to an end for him yet she loved him anyway. It was as Harry had imprinted on her, she and Nashiro had imprinted on Kanou. He was their father figure even if he was not a ghoul.

Afternoon approached as they whiled away the hours talking and laughing together, sharing stories. Eventually, Eto suggested they go for a walk together though Kanou declined, saying he had some work to complete now that the festivities were over.

So the trio went for a walk through the neighborhood. Eto was walking slightly ahead while Harry and Kurona walked side by side behind her. Suddenly, Harry gave a cry as he stumbled and fell. He managed to sit up but was clutching his head, pained whimpers spilling from his mouth. 

“Harry? Harry, what’s wrong? Tell me,” Kurona urged, frightened by what was happening.

“S-sorry, just dizzy...mmm, my head hurts real bad.” 

“Shh, don’t worry. I’ll carry you home. We’ll get you into bed so you can rest.”

Eto frowned. Had she put in too much? She thought she’d used the amount he told her but perhaps she was mistaken. “Yeah, you don’t look good, kid. But don’t worry cuz we’re on it!”

“Eto!”

“What? I’m just trying to cheer him up a bit.” Eto rolled her eyes.

A few minutes into their rush back home, Harry seemed to finally come out of it. His eyes opened and were clear as he pushed out of Kurona’s arms. “I’m fine now, nee-san. I feel much better.” Kurona did not look reassured.

“Still, we should go home and have dad look at you.”

“But!”

“No buts. Now let’s go.”

Harry sighed. “Yeah, yeah.” Kurona firmed her grip on his wrist and continued to drag him along after her. “Sorry to cut the fun short, Eto-chan.”

Eto smiled. “Don’t worry about it. If you’re not feeling well then you are our top priority!” she chirped.

“Tadaima,” Kurona announced as they re-entered the house where Kanou was still on the couch but reading a newspaper now.

“Hmm, that was fast,” Kanou checked his watch, “You were hardly gone for ten minutes.”

Kurona sighed. “Harry started feeling unwell so we came back. I’m going to go put him to bed.” Harry complained loudly but she wouldn’t listen and vanished quickly up the stairs.

Kanou turned to Eto. “Well?”

Eto scratched her cheek sheepishly. “Well, the poison is definitely working. Not sure if I gave him too much though,” She shrugged.

Kanou laughed. “It will have a compounded effect. Over time the smallest dose will make his symptoms worse so no, you did not give him the incorrect amount.”

“Oh,” Eto sighed relieved, touching her heart. “I was worried I’d actually hurt him,” her gray eyes darkened sadistically despite her kind words.

Kanou laughed. “Tomorrow we will spring our trap my dear. Everything is going according to plan. Now, I’ve received a call from the hospital a few minutes ago so I shall be gone for a little while. Keep an eye on everyone for me while I’m away, won’t you?”


End file.
